Specialists in HVAC in Ottawa Discuss Energy Usage, Lifespan, and More
Hot water is the sort of thing you never truly appreciate until those awful moments when it runs out right before you get in the shower. For generations, water was pre-heated in a large boiler and then stored there, waiting to be used. When this tank would become empty, you’d have to wait for the process to happen all over again—not to mention it took up a lot of space and presented the threat of leaks and flooding. Enter the tankless water heater. This alternative solution to providing your home with hot water does away with the boiler, bringing with it all kinds of benefits and advantages. Ottawa HVAC specialists can install these units in your home for you to experience the benefits for yourself, such as:
Extended Life
For the sake of transparency, let’s get address the elephant in the room: yes, tankless units are more expensive—they can end up costing you as much as double up front. But if we were considering the lifespan of the unit alone, this would already be a non-issue, since they can last up to twice as long too! Your standard tank will last you around a decade, but a tankless water heater can keep providing your home with hot water for as much as 20 years.
Housing the Unit
As we mentioned before, a heating tank or boiler is quite a cumbersome appliance, one that takes up a serious amount of space. Especially is small homes, this can quickly become a huge issue, as it limits the amount of usable space that you have in your home, since you can’t store anything that could potentially be damaged by water in the tank’s vicinity. However, an experienced Ottawa HVAC contractor could install a tankless unit on your wall, in a closet, or even in a cabinet, and it’s slim profile—comparable to a desktop computer—would take up considerably less space.
Energy Efficiency
The big draw for tankless units is their energy efficiency. Since a water tank pre-heats still water waiting to be used, it ends up using a lot more energy in the long run, because that still water will lose heat (no matter how well-insulated the tank is) and you will end up expending additional energy maintaining an even temperature. But because a tankless unit heats water as it’s needed, it expends much less energy, saving the average household around 20% off their usual heating costs. Over time, this can also go towards offsetting the initial purchase cost, making it the smart investment in the long run.
If you’re ready to see what a tankless water heater can do for your home, contact your local Ottawa HVAC service today!