Tankless water heaters have good and bad properties, but they can help you cut down on your energy usage and provide your household with on-demand hot water.
Tankless water heaters work by heating up water as it flows through the heater instead of heating up a storage tank full of water.
They can be good or bad for you, depending on the needs and size of your household, but they are extremely energy-efficient and they provide on-demand hot water.
How do tankless water heaters work?
There are numerous options to consider when it comes to hot water solutions for your home. Tankless water heaters are quickly gaining traction among homeowners all around the world and in the United States (US), because these systems are so efficient.
Tankless water heaters, as their name suggests, do not have a tank in which water is stored and heated in the way that traditional water heaters do.
The tankless water heater runs cold water over a flame inside the heater to heat it up. Since there is no water stored in the water heater, this process is ongoing as the water automatically flows to the fixtures in your home.
Are tankless water heaters good?
When most homeowners hear about the efficiency and instantaneous hot water that a tankless water heater can produce for their homes, it seems obvious that this type of water heater is likely the best choice for all homes.
However, there are also negative aspects about tankless hot water heaters that you will have to consider before you can be sure whether this type of water heater is a good choice for your home.
These pros and cons can be summarised as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
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This list shows how difficult it can be to accurately determine whether these types heaters are genuinely good or not.
However, most homeowners are quite interested to know whether tankless water heaters are as good as promised when it comes to energy efficiency and whether this will compromise the level of comfort and convenience that the household is used to.
The answer, in this case, is that a tankless water heater can save you money on your electricity bills and provide on-demand hot water in the long run if you choose the right model and if you do not have high volume hot water needs.
Are tankless water heaters really good at being energy-efficient?
The most common reason that homeowners switch to a tankless water heater system from a traditional storage tank water heater is because of the rising cost of gas and electricity. Using a more energy-efficient tankless water heater can save your household hundreds of dollars annually.
Tankless water heaters are really more energy-efficient and can use between 24 percent and 34 percent less energy than a tank-style water heater for households that use about 41 gallons daily, and between eight percent and 14 percent less energy for households that use more hot water.
These savings can also help recover the higher initial purchasing and installation cost of this type of water heater, not to mention the federal tax credits that these heaters qualify for.
How do tankless water heaters perform in actual homes?
One of the other elements that draws homeowners to the idea of installing a tankless water heater, is the fact that these heaters offer on-demand hot water, because they heat up water as it flows through the system and you do not need to wait for an entire storage tank of water to reach the desired temperature first.
However, in practice, it is clear that when manufacturers say on-demand they do not mean unlimited water supply.
These heaters are better suited for homes that require less hot water at any given time, as the system could get overloaded if you use hot water at two separate fixtures in your home at the same time.
The best options for tankless water heaters
Since you probably want your tankless water heater to be as effective and efficient as possible, it is important that you consider some of the best models, with the highest customer-satisfaction ratings, such as the following:
| Tankless water heater model | Price | Customer rating | Where to buy |
| EcoSmart ECO 27 Electric | $599 | 4.5/5 from 4498 customer reviews |  |
| Buy it on Amazon | |||
| Stiebel Eltron Electric | $677.48 | 4.6/5 from 1394 customer reviews |  |
| Buy it on Amazon | |||
| Rinnai RL75IN Natural Gas | $1525.60 | 4.4/5 from 867 customer reviews |  |
| Buy it on Amazon |