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Tankless Water Heaters Pricey, But Save Energy

LINK: DSIRE USA.org

(KDKA) When it comes to your gas and electric bill ― it may surprise you to learn up to 30 percent of your money goes to heating your water.

A more energy-efficient tank-ess water heater can help you get your costs down. But Consumer Reports' latest tests show tank-less heaters may not give you the hot water you're used to.

Some manufacturers claim you can cut your energy cots by half. Consumer Reports tested both tankless and regular water heaters.

The tankless heaters were expensive, costing $800 to $1,150 versus $300 to $500 for regular heaters.

Tank-less water heaters are more energy efficient because they don't store hot water. They only heat water when needed.

Testers, with the help of an outside lab, assessed the water heaters for both energy use and the cost to operate. Tankless heaters do have their drawbacks.

"Some people may think that tankless water heaters provide instantly hot water to the faucet. That is not the case," explains Gian Trotta, from Consumer Reports.

Another issue is if you only need a trickle of water, say for shaving, the tankless water heater's burner may not ignite and all you'll get is cold water along with a higher price tag. Tankless water heaters can be a lot more expensive to install and maintain.

According to Consumer Reports' tests, tankless heaters could save you around $70 to $80 per year on your energy bills.

"But their high cost means it could take you up to 22 years just to break even, and that's not necessarily a big money saver," Trotta said.

But if saving energy is important to you, getting a tankless water heater may be worth the expense.

You could also qualify for utility company rebates and state tax credits with a tankless water heater.

You can check the database of state incentives for renewable energy by visiting http://www.dsireusa.org.

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