Thirteen percent of the energy that is used in homes is used for heating water. Every home strives to save as much energy as possible and in order to do so they prefer to use natural gas water heater to warm their water. This is because electric water heater uses twice the energy to heat the same amount of water that is heated by gas water heater. Therefore you should keep this in mind when you install a new water heater in your home or thinking of replacing the old one. Here is some more information on natural gas water heater that will help you to make the right choice.
When we think of water heaters we conjure up an image of a large storage tank holding hot water, waiting to be used. With the advancement of technology there has been a sea change in the way water is heated now. The water heater system now has taken different forms. Using the same natural gas, we now have water heater versions like the tankless, or indirect water heaters, that are more energy efficient and need less space to install.
When you install a natural gas water heater, you have to select the one with adequate capacity to meet the demand of all your family members. If you consider installing tankless water heater the capacity will not be measured as in the case of storage tank capacity. The capacity here will mean the quantity of water the heater can heat in one hour and not based on the size of the water heater. You can see this number on the yellow Energy Guide label on the natural gas water heater. At the peak hour if, say 100 gallons of hot is consumed at your home, then you will have to install a natural gas water heater with a first hour rating of 100 gallons.
After deciding on the capacity of the water heater, you have to select the model that will suit your need. Find more info about home plumbing repair tips and home improvement plumbing on this web site.
First option is the storage water heaters. They are dependable in the sense that hot water will be kept stored in a storage tank 24 hours, waiting to be used when needed. These can be installed outside. These are cheaper than electric ones in terms of running cost.
Second option that you can choose is the tankless model, also called ‘on demand’ water heater. The water in these heaters is heated when the tap is turned on. Being compact in nature, tankless model can be installed on wall or outside, or near any hot water outlet.
Third choice is a combo heater because water is heated by the heat of a furnace or a boiler. Water gets heated when it passes through a heat exchanger coil that is being heated by the furnace or boiler heat. The water that is heated by this method is stored in a tank separately for use. You can choose this model if you are sure that the furnace or the boiler in your home will operate all the year round.
With the above information you will be able to choose the most energy efficient natural gas water heater for your home.