For small- to medium-sized new homes or remodels, Rinnais high-efficiency models are affordable, compact units you can count on. Sleek, modern design and a range of features and benefits to fully satisfy the hot water demands of larger homes. That means you're paying to have hot water whether you need it or not. Whether your water heater installation is new or a replacement, you may be eligible for a rebate from your local utility company, which can offset some of the cost. While tankless water heaters run more efficiently than storage tank water heaters, replacing a tank water heater with a tankless can be expensive, and the payback time can be longer than the warranty. How to Choose the Right Plumbing Snake for the Job, No need to heat gallons of water that arent being used, No standby heat loss, in which a tank loses heat to a surrounding environment. Considering that 90 percent of hot water heater installations take place during an emergency, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, that puts you at a disadvantage when you're negotiating with a prospective plumber or contractor to make the switch on your tight timeline. The payback math changes if youre building a new house or renovating an old one and have a need for space savings, endless hot water, or improved energy efficiency. But most manufacturers recommend using a certified plumber, and you may need one because tank water heaters have changed, as noted, to meet tighter energy standards. Banta says its worth noting that while gas water heaters are less expensive to operate, its due to the lower cost of natural gas and not because theyre necessarily more efficient. We paid $570 (electric) and $600 (gas) for the two 50-gallon Rheem tank water heaters we tested, but we have seen tank water heaters priced for less at home improvement stores. Depending on what your plumber charges per hour, installation can be $600 to $800 if the existing hookups are compatible. What if we told you that you could get the same amount of hot water (or more) from a water heater the size of a carry-on suitcaseand save at least $100 a year on your utility bill? If you live in a poor-water area, we suggest maintenance once a year, says Caccia. Tanks with larger capacity or energy-efficiency upgrades cost more. Grainger Editorial Staff. All Rights Reserved. Detail. Rinnai Infrared Heaters provide you with warm radiant comfort in all of your outdoor, garage and workshop spaces. Switching to tankless from a storage tank water heater is no easy swap because it requires a plumbing retrofit and possibly an upgrade to your electric service or gas lines to increase capacity. After weeks of testing, we discovered that all the gas tankless water heaters performed similarly and all the electric tankless were equivalent in terms of performance. Whole-house tankless units mount on a wall, saving you floor space and fitting into tight spaces. Storage tank: Tank style water heaters are less expensive than tankless. In fact, many manufacturers require installation by factory-trained professionals to maintain the warranty. Storage tank: Our payback calculations are based on replacing a 50-gallon storage tank water heater with a tankless water heater, then calculating how much the tankless model costs to operate and how much energy it saves. Get more great content like this sent to your inbox. The nine models in our tests range from $525 to $1,150. A veteran of online and print journalism, I've worked at People, MSNBC, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and an online Consumer Reports wannabe. Caccia, the third-generation plumber, says that once you make the switch, labor costs are less for replacing an old tankless water heater with a new one than for replacing an old storage tank with a new one. (Manufacturers also recommend that you periodically drain a tank water heater to flush out the sediment.). Using a natural gas rate of $10.86 per 1,000 cubic feet, we calculated that the payback time for converting from a storage tank gas water heater to a gas tankless ranges from 22 years to 27 years. Rinnai and Creating a healthier way of living are registered trademarks of Rinnai Corporation used under license by Rinnai America Corporation. Thats why more consumers and businesses choose Rinnai over any other tankless brand. Storage tank: In our tests, we judged the annual energy consumption cost of the conventional water heaters to be Very Good for the gas model and Fair for the electric. You know that big tank of hot water in your basement? The smart choice when it's time to replace a standard tank. While storage tank water heaters remain the majority of new installations in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), tankless water heaters are gaining popularity. Thats the equivalent of taking several showers, running the dishwasher, washing one load of laundry, and turning the faucet on and off multiple times, says John Banta, an engineer who oversees our water heater tests. WHEN YOU NEED THEM. Tankless heaters have a temperature rise component that shows how many degrees the tank can heat the water based on a particular flow rate, represented as gallons per minute (GPM). Tanks that hold less than 55 gallons may be an inch or two larger. We rated the annual energy consumption cost Excellent for a gas model but only Fair for an electric, but both rate Very Good for energy efficiency. When its time to replace your legacy water heater or install one in new construction, the first question you may consider is whether to stay with the traditional storage tank water heater or move to a tankless heater. They vary in size, but average about 2 feet tall and a bit over a foot wide. Replacing your old storage tank with a new one of the same capacity is a pretty basic plumbing job, and some homeowners do it themselves. See Rebate Center for details. Privacy Policy. If youre considering an electric heat pump, check its space requirements. Demand Duo, DuoSmart, SENSEI, ThermaCirc 360, Every. And buyers remorse is a powerful thing, he says. He says that years ago, when plumbers were less familiar with tankless installations, homeowners complained that they werent getting the same water delivery they experienced with their storage tank. We tested a 50-gallon Rheem electric heat pump that we bought for $1,200. About Tankless with X3, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 199,000 BTU GTS-540X3-NIH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 199,000 BTU GTS-540X3-NEH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 199,000 BTU GTS-540X3-PIH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 199,000 BTU GTS-540X3-PEH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 180,000 BTU GTS-340X3-NIH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 180,000 BTU GTS-340X3-NEH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 180,000 BTU GTS-340X3-PIH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 180,000 BTU GTS-340X3-PEH, Tankless Water Heater Non-Condensing Concentric Vent Indoor 199,000 BTU Natural Gas/Propane, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 160,000 BTU Natural Gas, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 160,000 BTU GTS-240X3-NEH, Tankless Water Heater Non-Condensing Concentric Vent Indoor 190,000 BTU Natural Gas/Propane, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology160,000 BTU GTS-240X3-PIH, Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Outdoor Tankless Water Heater with X3 Technology 160,000 BTU GTS-240X3-PEH, Tankless Water Heater Condensing Ultra-Low NOx Indoor 199,000 BTU Natural Gas. Customer Service | Water is held in the tank and kept at a consistent heat, making delivery of hot water almost immediate compared to tankless heaters, which feed cooler water through the pipes and past the heating element, sometimes causing a delay before the continuous feed of hot water arrives. As with any major equipment decision, there are pros and cons to each choice. Finally, know that a power outage is likely to leave tankless heater users without hot water. In part that's because removing a large tank takes more time and effort than removing the much smaller tankless units. You can see the results in our water heater ratings charts. We based our tests on whats called a heavy use industry standard. The Rinnai Hydronic Air Handler System easily integrates with select tankless water heaters or boilers to deliver energy-efficient warmth. water outdoor eccotemp l10 heater tankless shower portable showers propane electric barn heating l5 pool heaters tank pump rv outside THE PRODUCTS YOU NEED, heater tankless water rinnai install plumbing installation homesfeed pex heaters advantages consideration heating does knight homes Both rate Good for energy efficiency. Rinnai tankless hot water heaters are built to commercial-grade standards and each individual unit is tested for quality. var intYear = dteNow.getFullYear(); Gas tankless models may have different venting and gas-supply requirements, meaning you may need to increase the diameter of the pipe from the water heater to the gas meter. These compact units offer the reliability youd expect from Rinnai with performance thats ideal for small- to mid-sized homes. It takes only one surprise cold-water blast from your shower to appreciate the luxury that is on-demand hot water. Thats the promise of tankless water heaters, also called on-demand water heaters, which produce hot water only when you turn on the faucet, start a cycle on the washing machine, switch on the dishwasher, or otherwise call for hot water. Rinnai Direct Vent Furnaces use modulating technology to create energy-efficient warmth for the whole home.