Tankless, also known as ‘Demand’ water heaters, provide hot water only as needed. Because they don’t produce the standby energy losses associated with storage water heaters, they can save you money.

Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. Because of this, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. This results in tankless water heaters delivering a constant supply of hot water since there’s no need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. Consequently, a tankless water heater’s output limits the flow rate.

Typically, tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2–5 gallons per minute. Gas-fired demand water heaters produce higher flow rates than electric ones. Sometimes, even the largest gas-fired models cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in large households. Taking a shower and running the dishwasher at the same time can stretch a tankless water heater to its limit. To overcome this problem you can install two or more tankless water heaters connected in parallel for simultaneous demands of hot water. You could also install separate water heaters for appliances—such as a clothes washer or dishwater—that use a lot of hot water in your home.

For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, tankless water heaters can be 24%–34% more energy efficient than conventional water heaters.

Proper installation and maintenance of your demand water heater can optimize its energy efficiency. Therefore, it’s best to have a qualified plumbing contractor install your demand water heater.

We’ve had experience with these types of installations, so if you are thinking about a Tankless “Demand”  Water Heater, contact us for a free in home estimate.