Quest for new water heater: Tankless or old fashioned?
Last week Your Guide wrote about our quest for a new hot water heater. I had originally hoped to get a high-tech “green” tankless water heater.
The demands of our house didn’t match up with the ability of the tankless systems to provide water to the whole house from a central location. In a four-story townhouse with baths and appliances on each level, the recommended installation calls for medium capacity tankless heaters installed in a few different locations. And each unit, installed, could cost up to $2,000. We’d need 2. Maybe 3. Ouch!
On Monday, we had our new, “old fashioned” water heater installed in the same place as the old one.
Our unit retailed for $458, and we paid $300 for installation. Of course, comparing the price of this installation to multiple tankless water heaters makes choosing a no-brainer.
We chose the same size – 50 gallon – and went with the “standard” brand from Menards – Richmond Water Heaters. Richmond offers a “good/better/best” range of models in various sizes. We settled on the “better” – or mid-quality – version. No reason other than it seemed to make sense to move up from the lowest version.
Choosing the best water heater for your needs brochure
Our installer suggested moving up to the “best” and we took his advice. Upon opening the carton the water heater came packaged in, we were immediately surprised how large this water heater is. It’s ENORMOUS. Which we found strange since it’s the same capacity as the old one.
But after further inspection we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the large size is due to extra insulation and a few other energy saving features. Our model should operate at about a 25% savings over the old model. And it’s is efficient enough to get an “Energy Star” rating. Nice! We can apply for a couple of tax breaks and rebates with this model. Definitely worth the $40 bump over the price of the next lower model.
Your guide has seen new houses with multiple water heaters in separate locations. Normally these installations are in upscale homes with 4 or even more bathrooms, plus ultra-luxury bath features such as body sprays, rain showers, and multiple-person Jacuzzi tubs. It might make sense to switch out a tank-style water heater for a new tankless water heater. But in traditional installations throughout Chicago where one water heater provides hot water to a whole house from a utility room, replacement with the same type of technology seems to make the most sense. It’s nice to know that “green” or energy conscious choices are available.