There are many things to love about living in Panama City, FL, but unfortunately, energy prices are not among them. One way to cut down on home energy costs is to consider a tankless water heater, also called an on-demand water heater. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program estimates that a typical family can save an average of $100 or more per year with a tankless unit. Before you decide whether such a system is right for you, however, it’s important to understand how a tankless water heater works.

It Heats on Demand

In contrast to a traditional water heater, which stores and heats a large volume of water in a tank, a tankless system operates in an on-demand fashion. When you turn on a hot tap, cold water flows through your plumbing system into the heater, where it’s quickly warmed to the appropriate temperature by either a gas burner or an electric heating element. This means there is virtually no waiting for the water to be heated, and as a result, there’s far less wasted energy.

It Offers Continuous Heating

Since there is no storage tank to heat, tankless units offer a constant supply of hot water. The typical tankless unit is capable of supplying between two and five gallons of hot water per minute, though larger gas-powered systems often supply a greater flow rate than electric systems. If you regularly use a lot of hot water in your home, you may wish to install multiple tankless units to increase your flow rate. This can be done either by connecting two or more units in parallel or by installing dedicated tankless heaters to supply specific appliances, such as a dishwasher or washing machine.

Heating water is a significant and often-overlooked part of any Panama City, FL home’s energy budget, and installing a tankless heating unit can potentially produce real savings. To learn more about how tankless water heaters can improve your home, explore Benjamin Franklin Plumbing’s water heater solutions or call us to speak with a helpful staff member at (850) 331-7956.