Manufacturers have made many technological advances on their water heaters. They are no longer an oversized tank that contains a heating element in order to heat water. These older models are not energy efficient at all and they could be costing you hundreds of dollars each year in unnecessary heating bills. Newer models are much more efficient in heating water and the very high energy efficient models are even offered with tax rebates or government subsidies.
Most builders almost always install a cheap tank appliance when they build a home. They do this in order to save money on their own costs. These units are either too small for the job in hand or they are the wrong type of model all together.
Smaller homes where there is only one bathroom present will benefit from a tankless water heater. These are on-demand units that only supply hot when it is required by appliances and family members. They are no longer frowned upon where they do not provide enough hot water when required. They are even being used in much larger homes as you can link two together to provide enough hot water for three bathrooms.
Smaller tank models can now be bought that can provide you with the same amount of hot water as your older large water tank. This is because the elements are more efficient at heating water and the tank is also much more efficient at keeping the stored water hot. New technologies such as heat pumps are also able to use a combination of supplying hot water from a tank as well as providing hot water on demand. This means that you have the best of both models within one. This can also be called a hybrid water heater.
Make sure that you speak to an expert before making a purchase and don’t just swap your old water for an exact same model.