Natural Gas Tankless Water Heaters Vs Electric Tankless
A popular question is whether natural gas tankless water heaters are better than electric heaters. I would love to tell you that one is simple better than the other but unfortunately this is not the case. There are a lot of different factors to take into consideration when trying to decide on the right tankless hot water heater. In this article I will examine the pros and cons of natural gas tankless water heaters and their electric cousins.
Cost differences between gas tankless water heaters and electric
It was thought for a long time that gas tankless water heaters were cheaper to operate than electric ones. One of the main reasons for this is that the price of natural gas is rising at a much higher rate then the cost of electricity. Natural gas has become the standard for so many people that the resource is being used at an incredible rate making supplies potentially dangerously depleted. Another argument made by people is that the efficiency at which power plants operate that produces the electricity we use. The fact that power plants are now almost fifty percent more efficient makes electric tankless water heaters more attractive. Currently natural gas tankless water heaters may cost less in operating expenses but since the life span of a tankless heater can be over 20 years, the natural gas heaters may not always be less expensive to operate.
If you are planning on adding a natural gas tankless water heater to an older house there are some things you should take into consideration. Any time you are dealing with high BTU rated gas you must have proper venting and you might have to have a special high volume gas line run to your house which can add to the initial cost of the water heater upgrade. Natural gas tankless water heaters are usually placed on the outside of the house. This can cause problems if you live in a cold climate and may have to take extra measures to make this work. It is much more difficult to add a gas version than an electric version. Also because of this extra ventilation can take up considerable room causing you to loose precious square footage.
Another thing to consider is the efficiency ratings on natural gas tankless water heaters. It’s good to keep in mind that natural gas tankless makers tend to advertise much higher gallons per minute flow. The key factor to remember when looking at gallons per minute is that the temperature of the water can only be heated by fifty degrees. Let’s look at this example. Pretend that you have your source water at the temperature of fifty five degrees so the most you could increase the water temperature to would be 105 degrees which is not considered “hot” water. You should also factor in that you will loose temperature from the source of the natural gas tankless water heater to your sink or shower because of the water pipes. Let’s go back to something I said earlier. Remember when I said that hypothetically your water started out at fifty five degrees? Well if you live in a cold climate then your input water is going to start out cooler increasing this problem.
The main problem with electric tankless water heater is that then cannot put out the volume of hot water than a natural gas tankless water heater can. There are some solutions out there though that make it possible to heat a large home with large requirements for hot water with out going the gas route. The answer to this problem is installing tandem tankless water heaters. That’s right, two electric tankless units working together to give you all the hot water you need with out having to pay to heat a tank of water constantly even when you are not using it.
As you can see there are many things to consider when deciding if a natural gas tankless water heater is the best option your you. Hopefully this article has touched on a few points that you have not thought of before. If your decision point is on cost at this very moment then perhaps the natural gas tankless water heater is the best option for you.
Filed Under Gas Tankless Hot Water Heaters | Leave a Comment
Tagged With
Comments
Leave a Reply