Choosing the Right Water Heater for Your Home

A Guide to Choosing the Right Water Heater for Your Home

Choosing the right water heater for your Winchester home is a task most of us don’t do very often, but making the correct choice can have real benefits for you.

The two types of water heaters that many people choose between are electric or natural gas water heaters, but there are alternative options such as hybrid water heaters that use a small heat pump to heat the water.

The main criteria for water heater section include fitness to the situation, cost of installation and operation, as well as tank versus tankless.

Electric Water Heaters

Electric water heaters are a good choice if natural gas is not available and initial cost is a main factor.

The main drawback to electric water heaters is they are more expensive to operate compared to natural gas water heaters.

Electric water heaters have a great advantage in that can be placed in many locations and even under sinks.

Natural Gas Water Heaters

The main advantage to using natural gas water heaters is they are less expensive to operate. Natural gas water heaters are limited in where they can be placed.

There must be a natural gas line available and a nearby chimney or outside wall. Natural gas water heaters usually have a faster recovery rate and this can be helpful if several people need hot water quickly.

Tank versus Tankless

Tankless water heaters are newer on the market than traditional tanked water heaters. Tanked water heaters hold about 40 to 50 gallons of hot water ready for use.

As the hot water is used in your Winchester home, the water heater starts to recover the water to the selected temperature. Tankless water heaters do not hold hot water and instead heat the water as the water flows through the water heater.

Tankless water heaters only heat water as hot water is needed. Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient than tanked water heaters, but it can take many years to recover the initial additional cost of a tankless water heater as compare to a tanked version.

A natural gas tankless water heater might be a better choice compared to a whole house electric tankless water heater because the electric version may require a home electrical service upgrade.

Sometimes tankless water heaters deliver inconsistent hot water as the unit tries to determine the amount of heating required given the water being used.

Not sure what water heater works for your Winchester, VA home? Call Powells Plumbing at 540-665-8196, and get the best advice from the professionals.