The Raleigh water heater specialists at Poole’s Plumbing specialize in an array of services, with one being installation and servicing of your water heater. With a wide selection of both Tankless Water Heaters and conventional model water heaters from all of the most trusted name in plumbing products at your disposal with our Raleigh water heater specialists at Poole’s, deciding whether or not  Tankless Water Heaters are the right fit for you is one that should be weighed out carefully.

The website, howstuffworks.com recently did an in depth analysis that can help you to properly analyze whether Tankless Water Heaters would be the most cost effective and best fit in your home or place of business, detailing both the benefits and drawbacks as follows:

Benefits:

• Most Tankless Water Heaters come with a federal tax rebate of $300.
• They never run out of hot water.
• They last five to 10 years longer than tank heaters.
• They’re more efficient with no standby heat loss.
• Tankless Water Heaters take up less space and can even be installed on walls or outdoors with an anti-freeze kit.
• Smaller units can be installed under cabinets or in a closet, closer to the point of use.
• They only need enough power to heat the amount of water necessary at any given moment.
• You can shave as much as 20 percent from your water heating bill.
• Electric models don’t produce greenhouse gases.
• Most units are operated by remote control and have up to four separate settings available.
• There’s no possibility of flooding due to a ruptured tank.

Drawbacks:

• They cost up to three times as much as a tank water heater.
• Your hot water output is split among all your household fixtures.
• You may need to add a larger natural gas line to supply the unit with enough fuel.
• Venting gas and propane units requires expensive stainless steel tubing.
• Electric models may require an additional circuit.
• Gas-powered units produce greenhouse gases.
• Gas units require the additional expense of an annual servicing.
• Electric models require a lot of energy.
• They need a minimum flow rate of .5 GPM in order to activate the heat exchanger.
• Lag time can require you to run your water in order to get to the hot water, increasing water waste.

Other Considerations:

• Water heating accounts for about 20 percent of your home energy budget.
• A whole-house electric model costs $500-$700.
• A whole-house gas model costs $1,000-$2,000.
• Electric models are generally cheaper to install than gas.
• Natural gas is less expensive now, but expected to surpass electricity in the coming years.
• A standard bathtub holds about 35 gallons, soaking tubs hold between 45-80 gallons.

In addition to these points, there are many other valid points to consider when looking into the possibility of going with Tankless Water Heaters. The entire analysis can be seen at this link, home.howstuffworks.com .