What Type Of Water Heater Is Most Energy Efficient?
Many of life’s most common activities wouldn’t be possible without a reliable water heater. That’s why it’s important to do your homework before you buy a new water heater for your Roseville home. Specifically, you want to make sure you buy the most efficient water heater that you can afford so that you keep your utility bills as low as possible. Although any new water heater will be more efficient than an old water heater, there are some water heaters from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning that stand out from the crowd in terms of efficiency.
Motivation to Improve Efficiency
It takes a lot of energy to raise the temperature of the water that comes into your home. In fact, some homeowners can spend up to 20%t of their annual household energy budget on heating water. You can see, then, that any improvements you can make in this area have the potential to save you a lot of money. On top of saving money, improving your water heater’s efficiency has the potential to improve your comfort. Newer water heaters tend to be able to produce more hot water more quickly, meaning you’re less likely to run out, even when you’re taking a long, relaxing shower.
Electric Versus Gas
Similar to an HVAC system from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning, hot water heaters come in two main varieties: electric and gas. If you have an existing gas line and flue pipe, it will be easier and less expensive to install a new gas water heater instead of switching to an electric model. However, electric water heaters tend to have higher efficiency ratings because more of the energy goes toward heating the water. Plus, as you will see, electricity doesn’t have to only be used to heat the water directly. Therefore, when thinking about installing a new water heater, it’s important to think about your long-term needs to ensure you choose the best energy source.
Small-Tank Water Heaters
If you have a larger home, one unique way to save energy is to use small-tank water heaters that provide hot water right at the source. Rather than wasting water while you wait for the hot water to travel from the water heater to the outlet, you can have nearly instant hot water anywhere in your home. Plus, since these smaller water heaters don’t have to heat as much water, they are far more energy-efficient than their larger counterparts. This solution can be used alongside other efficient options to greatly improve your home’s efficiency.
Heat Pump Water Heaters
To allow your home to do some of the work of heating the water in your water heater, a heat pump water heater from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning is the best choice. These water heaters are often called hybrid water heaters because they have a backup system to provide hot water if the heat pump can’t keep up. These water heaters use a refrigerant line with a compressor and condenser to extract heat from the air in your home. This heat is then concentrated and used to heat the water in a tank. Since the heat already exists, you can typically achieve much more efficient results than with a standard water heater.
Solar Water Heaters
Whether or not you choose to power your home with solar panels, you can take advantage of the efficiency that a solar water heater from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning provides. These units utilize solar panels on the roof of your home. Rather than providing power to your water heater, though, these panels are used to heat the water directly, either with circulating water or refrigerant. If you have a portion of your home that receives abundant sunshine, this could be a great way to have plenty of hot water without using much energy.
Desuperheater
A ground-source heat pump provides many advantages to homeowners. The main advantage is that it can significantly reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home. Another great use for a ground-source heat pump is to warm up water in a storage-tank water heater using a desuperheater. A desuperheater concentrates the heat that your heat pump extracts from the ground.
As the heat collects, it is able to heat water in a water tank through a refrigerant exchange process. Since the only energy required for a ground-source heat pump from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning is the energy that’s used to circulate the refrigerant underground, this is an especially efficient way to heat your home’s water.
Tankless Water Heaters
For the ultimate in efficiency, the pros at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning recommend a tankless water heater. Most tankless water heaters can be adapted to utilize any of the energy sources listed above. What makes tankless water heaters truly shine, though, is the fact that they don’t have to keep water warm when it’s not being used. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of storage-type water heaters.
After all, even if you go an entire day without using any hot water, a storage-type water heater still has to keep the water warm. However, if you have a tankless water heater and you go an entire day without using any hot water, your tankless water heater will barely use any energy.
The only potential challenge that comes with a tankless water heater is that you will likely need a more robust gas or electric line to power the water heater since large amounts of energy are needed while the water heater is in use. Other than that, though, there are very few drawbacks to a tankless water heater.
Consider Longevity
In addition to energy-efficiency, it’s important to consider another element that factors into the overall efficiency and environmental friendliness of a water heater: longevity. If a water heater is highly efficient but only lasts a few years, any efficiency gains are essentially negated by this lack of longevity. If you choose a storage-type water heater from C & C Heating & Air Conditioning, it’s important to choose one with an upgraded anode rod. This rod helps prevent the walls of the tank from corroding as quickly, meaning you’ll get a longer life from the tank.
The longest-lasting water heaters tend to be tankless water heaters. Since tankless heaters don’t store water in a tank, there’s less chance of corrosion. Therefore, although tankless water heaters tend to be more expensive up front, they more than pay for themselves in lower energy costs and a longer lifespan.
Helping You Choose the Best Option
By now, you can see that there is an exceptional number of water heaters to choose from. At C & C Heating & Air Conditioning, we specialize in helping our customers choose the right water heater for their needs and their budget. Plus, with repair, maintenance, and installation services for furnaces and air conditioners, we can take care of all your home comfort needs at any time. We can also take care of duct cleaning, indoor air quality, humidifiers, ductless mini-splits, and more. Since our founding more than 70 years ago, we have remained focused on providing our customers in the Greater Metro Detroit area with a great experience. To learn more about different water heater options, give us a call at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning today.
