Save Energy (and Space!) with a Tankless Water Heater

11 September 2008

If you’ve been eyeballing the space your water heater takes up in the basement, garage, closet, etc. and wishing you had that area for something else, it might be time to consider a tankless water heater. Not only are these units smaller than traditional water heaters, but they save water and energy too.

With a tankless water heater, the water isn’t heated continuously and stored for some user who may or may not come along any time soon. These systems wait until you actually turn on the hot water in the kitchen or the bathroom, then water is drawn into the heater where a sensor detects the flow. A computer turns on the burner, and water circulates through a heat exchanger, which warms the water to the designated temperature in about five seconds.

Not only does this save energy, but it means you will never run out of hot water in the middle of your bath or shower. The tankless heater just keeps making more as you need it. When you turn off the water tap, the heater also turns off, so there’s no waste heating water that doesn’t need to be used right away.

While a tankless water heater may be a larger initial investment than a regular water heater, you’ll save money in lower water and energy bills over the months and years to come.

The unit pictured here is the Flash T-K Jr. from Takagi. It’s their smallest unit and is ideal for light use in an apartment or condo.