Should You Choose A Tankless Water Heater Or Solar To Save Energy ?
If you are trying to save energy and money by switching from a traditional hot water tank system to either a tankless unit or solar water heating, you may be weighing the pros and cons of each type of replacement system.
Each type of system has its pros and cons, but there is no need to select between the two options and accept the limitations of your choice. You can choose to install both types of systems to work together in providing you with a consistent supply of hot water that is produced efficiently to save both money and energy.
What are the pros and cons of tankless hot water heaters?
Tankless hot water heaters produce hot water on demand, rather than storing it and using energy to keep it hot in a large insulated tank.This type of heater delivers an endless supply of hot water, which is especially desirable for large families that may need to stagger shower times while waiting for a traditional hot water tank to heat more water.
Tankless systems also require much less space than hot water tanks, which may be a lifesaver when you need to replace an old tank and find that government mandates have required manufacturers to increase their efficiency by adding additional insulation to newer tanks.
This increases the size of the new tanks, and may make them unable to fit into the cramped spaces usually reserved for older tanks.
Of course, if you are trying to minimize your use of fossil fuels because of environmental concerns, tankless systems still use fossil fuels, although they use them more efficiently than storage tanks.
You can lessen your dependence on fossil fuels even more by adding a solar hot water heating system.
How can a solar water heating system work together with a tankless unit?
Tankless hot water heaters can provide hot water for your entire home or for just a specific area, such as a bathroom. If your hot water needs are minimal or sporadic in other parts of your home, you can use solar to heat the hot water for most of your other household needs.
Solar hot water systems require an insulated tank to store the hot water, just as a traditional tank system, but instead of using fossil fuels, the water is heated by the sun. You can choose from either passive or active solar systems, but active systems require electricity to pump hot water from your roof into your home.
Passive systems use solar cells to heat water on your roof and use gravity to move the water into an insulated tank inside your home. This requires zero fossil fuels, but it doesn't provide consistent hot water because of inconsistency in the amount of sunshine needed to heat the water.
This makes solar and tankless hot water heating a perfect combination for providing an environmentally friendly and family pleasing way of providing hot water for your home. For more information, contact companies like Quality Plumbing.
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