By Eloy Warner
We all know hot water is very much a necessity. Most of us have water heaters at home and do not give it a second thought. We just assume we will have hot water on a daily basis; that is, until you are standing in the shower and the water goes cold because someone in the other part of the house decides to turn on the water. If this sounds familiar, it may be time to consider a tankless hot water heater.
Let’s discuss the advantages of replacing your old hot water heater with a tankless water heater. Have you found yourself scratching your head when the electric bill comes? Most of us have. Depending on your household size and use, your conventional hot water heater can even drive your electric bills through the roof.
Did you know that most conventional heaters make up for almost 20% of your household energy consumption? Think about this for a moment — 20% is a lot of consumption when you begin thinking about the different household items that make up your electric bill: clothes dryers, stoves, heaters, washing machines, lights, hair dryers and the list goes on. So when you think about it on this level, 20% for the use of hot water is quite a bit of your electric bill. This is why if you are conservative or a home owner that simply wants to save money and enjoy effective water heating consider switching to a different system. It may be time to try using a tankless water heater.
With electric bills soaring and people becoming more eco-friendly, there are many people now considering having a tankless water system. Do you believe a tankless hot water system is right for your home? There is no reason why it should not be. The reasons for having a tankless verses not having a tankless system certainly outweigh the disadvantages.
Lets review some of the reasons why installing a tankless heater could be very beneficial:
Tankless hot water heaters are energy efficient. You can cut your heating cost up to 30%. Now think about this for a moment, if your hot water is costing you up to 20% on a conventional hot water heater and you’re saving up to 30% on a tankless hot water system and the tankless is also eco-
friendly, this sounds pretty beneficial.
Tankless water heaters work differently from the conventional water heaters. With a tankless water system the water is heated only when it is needed. When you turn on the faucet, the tankless heating system kicks in and at the same time the water is heated (using a heating element). That is why a tankless hot water system is also called “instantaneous or demand.”
With tankless water heaters there is constant flow of hot water, so this allows everyone in your home to have hot water at the same time. It does not matter whether two or more faucets are running at the same time. But keep in mind, speak to your professional plumber so they can advise you on what you may need as far as a whole house type of heater or what your options are by installing two or more of this type system to meet instantaneous hot water demand.
You should know tankless water heaters are safer because the system does not store water that can be a breeding ground for bacteria such as Legionella. Keeping the water temperature at an appropriate temperature is important to keep these types of bacteria from thriving.
Preventive maintenance is still required periodically, the same as a conventional water heater, but the cost is less. The next great advantage of a tankless water system is that if you do what the manufacturer requires, it can last up to 20 years and still maintain its efficiency. 
