We had just returned from Europe where tankless water heaters are very common, so I did a little research to see if it would work for me.

With an unused 200amp breaker panel available, I chose to go with an electric Bosch tankless.
My first choice was a 120amp model. My friend, who is a remodeling contractor recommended the 80amp. I live in northern Virginia – Bosch has a map on their site to help you choose.

I did the measurements for heat rise and gallons per minute and it looked like 80amps would just work, and it did. Temperature rise in winter, from entry to shower is 70 F degrees. In summer 35 F degrees. In winter there is just enough hot water for a shower and one faucet, with a little variation in temperature. In summer, enough for at least two showers at a time.

The electric company gives us detailed reports, each month, with our bill. The results show a 19 percent cost drop since the tankess heater went in. I might add that buying it online and installing it myself put the total cost at $650. And I hope to get some of that back with a tax credit.

I’ve done more research since then and put it on a site called http://www.installing-a-tankless-water-heater.com. There are some ads on there, but the information is free.

We’re replacing our old tankful heater with a tankless model this spring. We might add a second for laundry/dishwasher later on, but frankly even with the tankful heater we’ve kept in the habit of limiting ourselves to one heavy-water-use application at a time.

My last two apartments before buying this house had tankless heaters, and they were amazing. Instant hot water…no more waiting 5 minutes with the water running before hot stuff starts coming out. And the cost savings are substantial.

Flow rate was also a concern with the electric unit. It seemed you needed the most expensive unit just to cover a 3 gallon per minute rate, which is about a shower and dishwasher at the same time.

It is easier to install an electric water heater then hook up a VCR.
A blind, deaf, one armed monkey can install a electric water heater in a few hours. Save that money for yourself.

You can also turn the temp down on the heating elements to save electricity.

And buying a warranty for something that can easily last 10 years anyway?
Anyone who says to buy the warranty must be being paid to do so. That is without a doubt the worst advice in this entire comment thread.

saladdin

For anyone considering gas, note this: When they installed our unit, they had to run a new 1″ gas line to the wall for the heater. The resulting installation cost brought a $900 heater up to almost $2500. On the plus side, between that and a high-efficiency washer/dryer we are saving over $80/month in water and electric costs.

Could you install a propane tank outside?

Just some thoughts.

CK

Cheers Alex

A normal water heater will constantly be heating up 50 gallons of water whether your using it or not…therefore wasting a lot of energy.

The only reason houses arn’t getting built with these is because of the plumbing industry’s unions….if everyone had these units in the house, plumbers would go broke!

These units can be hooked up to you existing water heaters as well and basically the tank is there to hold cold water and the unit pumps it out and heats it before delivering it to your faucet.

In an ideal setup you would have a large ‘whole home’ tankless heater on your incoming water line. Then you would have small booster heaters on your showers, and possibly your dishwasher. That way you don’t have to worry about running a little water in the kitchen when something else is going.

I just find that setup far too expensive for the benefits. Remember, if you live somewhere that gets cold and your water heater is in the house it’s “losses” will be heating your home.

Clever Dude: The timer idea is really good, I’ll look into that!