Written on: May 17, 2021
When people think of a water heater, they usually think of a bulky metal cylinder that takes up a sizeable portion of their basement.
But imagine if that water heater was the size of a small suitcase and could be mounted to the wall, saving space while producing hot water for hours on end?
That’s what you’ll get with a tankless water heater.
Here’s how a tankless water heater works: when you need hot water, you get it the same way you would with a conventional water heater: simply turn on your tap or hot water-using appliance. The difference comes at the water heater itself: in a conventional water heater, water is drawn from a storage tank into your pipes. When you’ve used all your hot water, you have to wait for a new batch of water to heat (the time this takes is referred to as recovery time).
By contrast, a tankless water heater continuously pulls in cold water from your household main and passes it through a powerful heating element, instantly warming your water indefinitely (until you shut your hot water tap, or until your appliance has run its cycle).
In a tankless water heater, no hot water is stored, so water can’t lose its heat as it sits in your cold basement waiting to be used (this is referred to as standing loss). In a conventional water heater, if the water sits in a tank for a long time, it will have to be re-heated – and you’ll pay for the fuel to do it.
Tankless water heaters are extremely efficient, achieving ratings as high as 99 percent primarily for two reasons: first, as we mentioned above, they never have to reheat water. Second, tankless water heaters also use electronic ignitions rather than a constantly-running pilot light.
All in all, tankless water heaters – like the state-of-the-art Rinnai water heaters we carry and install – can cut energy consumption by 30 percent or more compared to conventional models while providing a limitless supply of hot water. They also last almost twice as long as a conventional water heater – almost 20 years on average, compared to 12 for tanked systems. While they cost significantly more to install, they usually make up for their premium price by lasting longer and outperforming their conventional cousins – especially over the long run.
Curious about Rinnai tankless water heaters for your Hudson Valley home? Give Downey Energy a call today and let’s talk about tankless water heater installations in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Northern Westchester Counties, NY!
