Whole House Tankless: Where to Start
How much it will cost is a factor of several things that include geography, family needs and the price of energy in your neighborhood. This is something where variables can put prices all over the place. All three of these things mean doing a little math. It’s worth it if it saves money and gives you assurance to make the investment.
Calling in a professional
A professional Installer might tell you you don’t need as large a tankless water heater for your house as you think, or it could be the other way around, not because he or she is dishonest but not understanding your situation could affect the calculations. Be sure of what type of whole house water heater will fit your needs today and it could be expanded 10 years from now.
For A whole house water heater - Kilowatt or therm?
If you want to know which is the best value, you have to know what your local utility companies are charging. You can probably do this from their websites - if you are thinking of switching over, some utilities will offer a reduced rate or incentive to get all your business, be sure to ask.
For a general idea about gas and electric prices for your state, try Electric Map and Gas Map on the home page. These are USDoE most recent prices but may vary within each state.
For energy these are uncertain times but it’s pretty obvious that prices will go up. Which will escalate the most is hard to predict. In the past decade electric rates have remained flat while gas has more than doubled. To cost out a tankless water heater for your house it’s best to use the life of the heater, initial cost and annual operating expense when comparing gas and electric. It may take gas 10 or 12 years compare with electric.
A Third Factor
There is also the option of energy saver add-ons that will help you save money by reducing the size heater you will need. These will not work in all houses, like GFX (gravity film heat exchange) or passive heating but when they fit they offer big savings.
More about energy saver waste water heat recovery can be found at Best Tankless
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