<\/div><\/div>\n
Water Heaters<\/h2>\n
The average life expectancy of a water heater is 13 years. You need to consider the initial purchase price \u2014 but also think about how much it costs to operate. If you choose a water heater that saves you money, the savings will continue for years.<\/p>\n
Gas vs. Electric<\/h4>\n
Which is better \u2014 gas or electric? In almost all applications, natural gas is the most economical way to go. That is, if natural gas prices are stable. It usually costs three times as much to heat the same amount of water with electricity as it does with gas. If you have an electric water heater and a gas furnace or stove, you may save money in the long run if you extend the gas line to your water heater. If you live in a rural area that has propane service instead of natural gas, propane is usually less expensive than electricity.<\/p>\n
Once you’ve figured out your “First Hour Rating” \u2014 how much hot water your family typically needs and the size of the water heater you should buy \u2014 look for the “First Hour Rating” figure on the EnergyGuide label. Choose a model with a “First Hour Rating” close to the capacity you need.<\/p>\n
There is another label on new water heaters listing that unit’s “Energy Factor.” It’s a number with a decimal point, usually listed on a separate tag beside the EnergyGuide. The higher the “Energy Factor” number, the more efficient the water heater.<\/p>\n
Tankless Water Heaters<\/h4>\n
Also called demand water heaters, these provide hot water right where you need it, when you need it, without a storage tank.<\/p>\n
Tankless water heaters are compact in size and virtually eliminate standby losses — energy wasted when hot water cools down in long pipes or while it’s sitting in the storage tank. By providing warm water immediately where it’s used, tankless water heaters waste less water.<\/p>\n
However, there are disadvantages. Tankless water heaters usually cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous uses such as showers and laundry. Unless your demand system has a feature called modulating temperature control, it may not heat water to a constant temperature at different flow rates. That means that water temperatures can fluctuate uncomfortably — particularly if the water pressure varies wildly in your own water system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Energy Guide Label Look for EnergyGuide labels when you’re shopping for appliances. They will help you make the most energy-efficient purchase — and save you money over the life of your appliance. On the left under the headline EnergyGuide, the label describes the type of appliance it is. It offers a brief description and the […]\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":35695,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35706\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcec.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}