Choosing among a variety of water heaters in Eagle Mountain should not only depend on the overwhelming need of getting a product of high quality or the one that lasts long. Branding and marketing strategies can prevent you from making the right choice. The US Department of Energy suggests choosing a water heating system that uses energy efficiently, hence, keeping costs down. To achieve both, pay attention to the fuel type.
Decide on Water Heater Type First
It is key that you know first what type of water heater that fits your needs. There are several types of heaters in the market: storage tank, tankless, heat pump, solar, and condensing. The most common is the storage tank water heater. Run by natural gas, it often uses less energy, costing you less in the long run. However, they are costlier than electric-run heaters upon purchase. Tankless or on-demand water heaters use coils to heat water. More energy efficient than the storage type, they only provide limited water flow.
A heat pump or hybrid water heaters use 60 percent less energy than a standard electric powered heater. Nevertheless, they require some real estate operationally, i.e. seven feet floor-to-ceiling clearance and at least a thousand cubic feet of space. Solar water heaters are the most sustainable, environmentally speaking. It saves money during the hot months but not on colder or cloudier months. Condensing water heaters use gas to heat water. If you need at least 55 gallons at a time, this type is right for you. Energy-wise, they can be costly as they capture exhaust gases.
Fuel Type Drives Overall Efficiency
An effective water heater not only serves you the hot water you need but also the savings as well as fewer calls to a specialist. Picking the right one among the five heater types should come down to the fuel type as fuel type impact yearly operational costs, heater size, and energy usage. Especially with the latter two, the more you need hot water, the bigger is your size requirement, and the more energy you will have to consume.
Electricity and natural gas are the most common fuel types. Normally, you would end up choosing between the two. Other sources are fuel oil, geothermal energy, propane, and solar. Fuel oil and geothermal are of limited availability due to added production costs on the part of the provider (especially geothermal), while solar sources are more prevalent in sunnier states (e.g. Southwest). Propane is widely available as natural gas but not as popular. It can also be costlier since natural gas is more readily available as it is a common public utility. Electricity is the most sought after fuel type as it is the most convenient to source out.
Water heater systems have grown in importance in recent decades. So, getting the right product must offset several initial and rolling costs and cover pertinent hot water needs at the same time. To help you make the correct decision, consider the trade-offs among heater types against the efficient fuel type.
