Efficient Hot Water Solutions

Tankless water heaters, also called combination or combi boilers, instantaneous, continuous flow, inline, flash, on-demand or instant-on water heaters, are also available and gaining in popularity. These water heaters heat the water as the water flows through the device, and do not retain any water internally except for what is in the heat exchanger coil. Tankless heaters are often installed throughout a household at more than one point-of-use (POU), far from the central water heater, or larger models may still be used to provide all the hot water requirements for an entire house. The chief advantages of tankless water heaters are a continuous flow of hot water and energy savings (as compared to a limited flow of continuously heating hot water from conventional tank water heaters).

Advantages

There are certain advantages to tankless water heaters :

• Long term energy savings: Although a tankless water heater might cost more initially it will result in both energy and cost savings in the long term. As water is heated only when it is needed there is no wasteful heating of water. With a tank water will be kept hot all day even if it never gets used and heat loss through the tank walls will result in a continual energy drain. Even in homes or buildings with a high demand for hot water a tankless water heater will provide some level of savings. In a typical home these savings are quite substantial. If instant hot water at the taps at limited hours is a priority, a recirculation system similar to those in the tank-type systems can be accomodated by using an aquastat and timer in order to decrease the added heat loss from the recirculation system.
  
• Unlimited hot water: As water is heated while passing through the system an unlimited supply of hot water is available with a tankless water heater. Although flow rate will determine the amount of hot water that can be generated at one time it can be generated indefinitely.
  
• Less physical space: Most tankless water heaters can be mounted on a wall or even internally in a building's structure. This means less physical space has to be dedicated to heating water. Even systems that can't be mounted on walls take up less space than a tank-type water heater.
  

• No risk of water damage: No stored water means there is no risk of water damage from a tank failure or rupture. Improper piping in either the hot or cold water lines to the tankless water heater can result in water damage though.

Through specially designed systems, energy from the sun can be used to heat water for your home. Depending on climate and water use, a properly designed, installed, and maintained solar water heater can meet from half to nearly all of a home’s hot water demand. If your location has a southern facing roof or wall with little obstruction to the sun you may have a good location for a Solar hot water system. Almost as important is the slope of your roof. Ideally you want your collector to be mounted at an angle equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees more if to be optimized for winter heat.Two primary components, a collector and a storage tank, characterize most solar water heaters.