Being energy efficient is a HOT topic right now. New energy efficient technologies are being introduced to the market everyday. I recommend that you do not wait until your traditional water heater has bit the dust before doing your research on tankless units. The fact that you are reading this article is a good step in learning as much as you can before making the purchasing decision. Without doing your research ahead of time will help keep you from making a bad purchase decision. Research is very important since a hot water heater is the biggest waste of energy costs. So do your research now and know what you want when you are ready to buy.
It seems that since alot of consumers are not familiar with tankless water heaters that they are making their decision based on the size. The First Hour Rating (FHR) is the most important factor in choosing the proper tankless for your home. The FHR is the amount of hot water the unit will produce every hour. Estimating your families usage during peak hours will help you determin what size unit you will need.
The most energy efficient units are the propane or gas models. Even though electric models will still save you money on your energy bill every month they are just not the best way to generate hot water and save you the most. Before making your final decision check to see if the unit qualifies for the 2009 tax credit. This will in turn help you to get your payback for your new tankless alot quicker. Also starting this spring (2009) Energy Star will be rating tankless units. Look for the Energy Star label comming soon!
This is a very big purchase decision that will live with you for around 30 or more years. Make sure you use every available resource for research before you spend your hard earned money. Choosing wisely will make your tankless experiance so much more pleasant and will give you a quicker payback.
Check out my site for more information on going tankless:
http://thebesttanklesswaterheater.com/
