Not all homes or households are made the same. That’s why choosing a water heater that’s right for you and your household is so important. To help you understand the different types of water heaters, let’s go through the different types of water heaters:

Tankless Water Heaters

Sometimes called instantaneous or on-demand water heaters, “tankless” water heaters are a relatively new type of water heating solution for homeowners. These systems have many benefits:

• Endless supply of hot water
• Only heat your water when you turn your faucet on
• The temperature can be set to your exact comfort level
• Wall-mounted design saves valuable floor space
• Runs more quietly than your fridge
• Designed to meet the needs families of four or more, where hot water consumption is high
• Energy efficiency is in the 82%+ range compared to .62 for standard tank water heaters

Conventional Storage Water Heater

A conventional storage water heater keeps a reservoir of hot water available at all times.

This means when you turn on the taps, the water you are using comes from this reservoir. The energy supply to heat up the water comes from natural gas or electricity:

Gas Storage-type Water Heaters

A natural gas water heater can be anywhere from 45 per cent (75 gal pre-1990) to 61 per cent energy efficient.  Newer ENERGY STAR^® models are 62 per cent energy efficient or above.  Natural gas water heaters need to be vented, either to a brick-lined or metal chimney, or out the side wall with a plastic pipe.

Electric storage-type Water Heaters

These tanks are in the 93 per cent energy efficient range, although the cost of the energy they use is typically more expensive.  The recovery time is longer, and heating capacity is lower compared to natural gas water heater tanks but they do not require an external vent.