It’s all most of us have ever known: a rust-prone water heater.
It’s usually a big, white cylinder stuck away somewhere in a closet or the back of a house. Whether by electricity or gas, the process is the same and simple. The energy source heats water stored in the tank and the longer you take a shower, the more hot water is drained….and then the process starts all over again. Not any more. At least not any more with one of these: a tankless water heater.
John McCormack is the owner of Sanders Plumbing in North Little Rock. He says two years ago his plumbers put in 65 tankless water heaters. In ’09 it jumped to 100, and this year he projects his company may install 250. Besides never running out of hot water, there are a lot of reasons why these units are becoming more and more popular. They are small and take up very little space and can be installed anywhere like in the attic or on the wall in your laundry room. There are outdoor models as well. But most important, all tankless models use 40 per cent less energy than old-style heaters.
Even though tankless heaters are more expensive than the traditional style, McCormack says the cost of having one put in can be greatly reduced by taking advantage of a number of government and energy company incentives and rebates.
Learn more in this great feature.
