Most new homes come with tankless water heaters as the default, but why is this? Are they really that energy efficient?
Well, nothing is perfect sunshine and rainbows. While tankless water heaters do appear to be the future, there are specific use cases where they don’t do everything that they want you to do.
It comes down to this: if you need a new water heater in Jackson, MS, you should know what works best for you. If these pros and cons don’t add up for your specific use, you can still opt for a storage tank water heater.
Let’s walk you through the benefits and setbacks of tankless before you make a final decision.
Tankless Water Heater Pros
Let’s look at the benefits that make tankless water heaters so popular with everyone. These objective benefits should be eye-opening for any homeowner who’s never used a tankless water heater before.
- Saves Energy: Simply put, you’re spending less energy to create hot water, so your total carbon footprint goes down, not to mention your bills.
- Lasts Longer Than Storage Tanks: Storage tank units need to be replaced every 15 years or so. But tankless units? They can last for 30 years before they give out on you.
- Constant Hot Water: Need to take a shower and don’t want the water running cold? Awesome–it won’t. The water will stay hot the entire time because it creates hot water on demand.
- Saves You Money: Less water usage equals less money. Beyond that, you’re not paying to keep water hot 24/7. Those savings add up quickly.
- Better for the Environment: Less water waste is better for everyone. It saves you money, but it’s also environmentally conscious at the same time.
Tankless Water Heater Cons
There are some downsides to tankless water heaters, and we think you should know about them before you make your final decision.
- It Can Take a Minute: Depending on your specific unit and its placement, it can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes to fully heat up. Because there’s no storage tank, it heats water as you need it.
- Upfront Purchase Price: While we talked about their longevity, there’s sticker shock when you look at brand-new tankless units to install. It pays for itself, but it’s still a big chunk of change at first.
- Has its Limits: If you run multiple appliances at once, such as the dishwasher, washing machine, and maybe you take a shower at the same time, there might not be enough hot water.
To Tank or Not to Tank? That is the Question
So what do you think? Can you live with the cons; do the pros not excite you enough? You’ll find a lot of tankless water heaters in new construction, but they’re not your only option.
We enjoy the energy efficiency, endless hot water supply (minus the startup/purge time), and money-saving benefits, which is why we strongly recommend tankless water heaters for our customers.
Contact AirSouth Cooling and Heating today to schedule your next tankless (or storage tank) water heater installation as soon as possible.
