Understanding Tank vs Tankless Water Heaters

The differences between tank vs tankless water heaters are be boiled down to a few important factors:

  1. Convenience

The biggest issue that people have with their hot water is not having enough hot water. You may find that hot water doesn’t last long enough for everyone in your family to take a shower, or that the hot water is gone before you get your turn. These are problems that only exist with a tank water heater. A tankless heater solves that problem. That’s because of how the two kinds of heaters work:

  • Tank heaters work to pre-heat a limited amount of water in a tank. If you use up all the hot water in the tank, you run out until it refills and then reheats.
  • Tankless heaters heats water as it’s needed—whenever you turn the faucet. They can endlessly heat the water up to steaming or soothing temperatures in a matter of seconds.

  1. Efficiency

One of the key factors that homeowners want out of a new water heater is energy efficiency. This is where there’s the most dramatic difference between the two systems:

  • A tank heater operates continuously. That means it’s running even when you’re asleep, and much of that hot water will never even be used. That’s a lot of wasted energy and wasted money.
  • A tankless heater only heats water on demand. It’s a smaller, compact system that flash-heats water when you need it, and turns off as soon as you turn off the faucet. Tankless heaters are designed to drastically save energy.

  1. Cost

The cost advantages depend on whether you want a quick fix or a long-term investment:

  • Tank heaters cost less money up front, but are expensive to operate. Not to mention that they wear out quicker.
  • Tankless heaters cost slightly more now, but can save you substantially on your monthly bills. Comparing a standard tank heater (50-gallon, electric) with an equivalent tankless (condensed gas-fired unit), the tankless unit can reduce energy costs by 60% or more. That’s a huge savings every month.

Our brand of choice is Noritz because they make ultra efficient products which are easy to operate and maintain.