LIVING GREEN
by Jathynia Garcia
Go Tankless!
So you’re in the middle of a nice relaxing HOT shower, after a long day of work and all of a sudden a gush of cold water comes, causing you to scream and yell, “honey is the water heater working?” Well that ends here and now. With the tankless on demand water heater systems, you have endless hot water, yes you heard right, never-ending, nonstop, infinite HOT water at your disposal when you need it most.
So what is the difference between a regular water heater & the new tankless on-demand water heaters everyone’s talking about? It’s simple. The bulky, round, cylinder tank sitting in your closet or garage is the keeper of the hot water. But the water it dispenses sits in that tank in a “standby” state until called upon. Then after you consume the said amount of gallons indicated on your heater, the tank has to fill up & heat all that water over again. With tankless on demand systems, there is no sitting or stand by time. As soon as it’s called upon, the water instantly gets heated thru the electrical elements and sent through your water lines at the desired temperature, giving you unlimited amounts of hot water throughout the entire home for as long as you need it.
With its sleek, compact, space saving design, it can be conveniently hung on a wall, in an out of the way place, freeing up floor space for much more effective uses, like that storage space you’ve always wanted. So forget about those dreaded leaky water heater tanks that costs you thousands in water damage after flooding your home. Forget about running out of hot water when two showers run simultaneously, that just won’t happen any more. Just set the digital temperature knob, and there’s nothing more to it. NO LEAKS, No gushing water pouring down to the neighbor below, or ruining those hard wood floors. Accidents are almost non-existent with tankless heaters. All you get is endless hot water.
Now what about the cost on this new technology? The cost of installing the system runs approximately from $700 to $2000, including the labor by a licensed technician, product & materials. A minimum 150-amp breaker box is also necessary, and if you do not have that, it can easily be installed by a licensed electrician, at an additional nominal cost. Energy savings run about 15-20 percent, on the low side, over a standard electric water heater, which is significant in today’s energy-using homes. Add in the lower cost of water consumption since waste won’t be as frequent and that’s money in your pocket. Also, thanks to the Economic Stimulus package voted on by Congress on Feb 17, 2009, you can get a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 on these improvements – which is three times more than the tax credit for 2008. But most importantly when you consider the future perspective on our planet home, it’s safe to say that switching from a conventional water wasting, electrical consuming heater to a tankless on-demand system is much about passing a better world onto your children and grandchildren as it is about you saving a buck or two, and that’s a tough thing to put a price tag on.
If you do think green is the right choice for your upcoming plumbing project, we invite you to call us at Hi-Tech Plumbing about adopting a green remodeling philosophy. Hi-Tech plumbing is a local plumbing contractor in your local Wellington area who specializes in green building and remodeling, so you can be sure that your new plumbing is as green as it comes. For more information visit our website at www.hi-techplumbing.com or call our office at 561-790-6966.