A Short Comparison Between Electric And Gas Tankless Water Heaters
You have decided to change your tank based water heater and replace it with a tankless water heater. The only problem is that you don’t know if to choose an electric tankless heater or a gas tankless heater. That’s why this article will try to explain which one of them is better and, more importantly, which one is better for you.
Both of them, electric and gas tankless heaters, will be much more cost effective than tank based water heaters, if you choose the right one. The gas tankless heater is more efficient than the electric tankless heater, because it is well known that electricity heats water much slower than gas. You will need one thousand watts to heat 4 gallons of water at 100 degrees. So if you have a big home with many bathrooms and a lot of appliances that use hot water, the best choice for you is a gas tankless water heater. If you have a small home and don’t need a lot of hot water, then the best choice is an electric tankless water heater.
You now ask yourself why choose an electric tankless water heater, if you don’t need a lot of hot water, even if the gas tankless water heater is much more efficient. The main reason could be the cost of the installation. The cheapest electric tankless heater, which is only for one appliance, is somewhere around $200 while a gas tankless heater starts at $750. That’s not all, gas tankless heaters need a lot more space than electric tankless water heaters and they also require proper ventilation. The installation isn’t very easy either. As for the electric tankless heater, all you have to do to install it is connect the hot water pipe, the cold water pipe, some wires and you’re done. The size of the electric heater is also an advantage, because you can install it almost anywhere.
Another difference between the gas and electric tankless water heaters is that you can find electric tankless heaters for almost everything you need. If you need hot water just for a single appliance, you can’t really choose a gas tankless heater. Gas tankless water heaters are usually manufactured in large sizes that produce a lot of gallons per minute, they are very efficient and often used in the industry. Now that you know the main aspects about electric and gas tankless water heaters, we hope that we have made it very easy to choose for you!