IS A TANKLESS WATER HEATER RIGHT FOR YOU?

If you’ve ever been blasted with icy water midway through a relaxing shower, you know the pain of living without a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater provides endless hot water to your home in Raleigh, Wilmington, or anywhere else. It can also save you money on your energy bills – about $1,800 over its lifetime, according to ENERGY STAR.

So is a tankless water heater right for your Raleigh home? If you’re doing a major remodel or building a new home, you’ll definitely want to consider it. Here are the benefits – and drawbacks – of a tankless water heater.

Pros of a Tankless Water Heater

LOWER ENERGY BILLS

A traditional water heater constantly heats all of the water inside the tank, just in case it’s needed. Keeping that water hot 24/7 consumes more energy than all of your other appliances combined, accounting for almost 17% of your energy bill. A tankless water heater works differently. It instantly heats up water as it passes over a gas burner or electric coils. The result? You don’t have to heat your water all the time, and you will never run out of hot water. According to the Department of Energy, this can provide a yearly savings of $100 or more.

LONGER LIFESPAN

A traditional water heater lasts about a dozen years. Tankless water heaters have an estimated lifespan of about 20 years. Those additional years of use compound the savings you’re getting each month on your energy bill. If you’re going to stay in your home for a while, this could be a good investment. Plus, the parts are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace.

SMALLER FOOTPRINT

Unsurprisingly, a tankless water heater is much smaller than a traditional water heater with a tank. It can be mounted to a wall rather than taking up valuable real estate in your home, garage, or basement. A bulky water heater can be five feet tall and two feet wide. A tankless water heater, on the other hand, is about one third of that size.

Cons of a Tankless Water Heater

UP-FRONT COSTS

Like a geothermal heat pump and other energy efficient investments for your Raleigh home, tankless water heaters are significantly more expensive to install. According to HomeAdvisor, a Raleigh tankless water heater installation is $1,625 on average. A traditional water heater installation in Raleigh averages $1,131. It may take a while before you recoup the costs of your initial investment. If you’re planning on moving in the next few years, a traditional water heater might make more sense.

HARD WATER ISSUES

If you have hard water, a tankless water heater may need to be drained and flushed more frequently. A Raleigh tankless water heater shouldn’t have a problem, though. In the 2017 Consumer Confidence Report, the city of Raleigh reported that our water hardness is between 21 and 27 ppm. That’s far below the level of concern for a tankless water heater.

LIMITED SIMULTANEOUS OUTPUT

Yes, you’ll always have hot water in your Raleigh home. But if you’ve got two people showering and the dishwasher and washing machine are both running, you might have a problem. Even though you can get hot water at any time, the total amount of hot water you’re getting is limited by how much the tankless water heater can supply. A traditional water heater keeps dozens of gallons of hot water at the ready, so everyone can use it at the same time.

If you want a tankless water heater Raleigh is the perfect place for it. At Newcomb & Company, we install Raleigh tankless water heaters frequently, and are experts in understanding the needs of our customers. Contact us today to talk about your water heater options, so we can find a solution that fits the needs of your Raleigh or Wilmington home