Water Heater Installation 101: Choosing the Right System
A new hot water heater should have three basic criteria: the ability to provide enough hot water for your home while saving you money, and being energy-efficient. There are different types of water heaters and not every unit is right for every home, so here’s a short guide to help you simplify your search for the right hot water heater.
The Selection Criteria
The basic criteria for selecting a water heater includes considering its costs, energy efficiency, size, and fuel type.
- Cost of the Heater and Installation: Before purchasing a heater, you should consider the water heater installation and operating costs. Water heater installation is best performed by a professional service like Gibbon Heating & Air Conditioning. Reputable plumbing and heating experts will install your heater quickly, efficiently, and at a price you can afford. In addition to choosing an affordable, reputable installation service, you should also estimate the annual operating costs before purchasing.
- Energy Efficiency: Knowing how energy-efficient a water heater is will help maximize your energy output and savings. An energy-efficient heater actually uses 10 to 50 percent less energy than other models. This, of course, saves you money on energy costs.
- Size: The heater you choose must be the proper size if you want to ensure your home has enough hot water at all times. The size of the heater relative to the size of your home is a factor in determining the heater’s efficiency and ability to lower energy costs.
- Fuel Type: The heater’s size, energy efficiency, and annual operating costs are all affected by the energy source or fuel type that the heater uses. The fuel types are: oil, electricity, solar energy, natural gas, propane, and geothermal energy.
Different Types of Water Heaters
There are five different types of water heaters to choose from and the one you choose for your home will depend on your own personal preferences and finances. The five different types of heaters are the tankless, conventional storage, heat pump, tankless coil, and solar heaters.
A tankless or demand heater is one that heats the water directly without using a storage tank. The conventional storage option provides a storage tank or ready reservoir for the heated water. Heat pump heaters don’t generate heat directly for hot water, they simply move heat from one place to another. Tankless coil or indirect heaters use a space heating system to heat the water.
If you’re not sure which type of hot water heater is best suited for your home, give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer your questions. When it comes to plumbing and heating, we are your Saskatoon experts!