Storage water heaters – the types that heat water and store it in an internal tank until needed for household use – remain the most common type of water heater in the United States. Here are four factors to consider in combination when purchasing a storage-type water heater:

Size
Your water heater must be large enough to heat and store the amount of hot water used during your home’s daily peak hour demand, the hour when hot water use in your home is highest.

Check the heater’s first hour rating (FHR) level, which indicates how many gallons of hot water the unit can supply per hour, beginning with a full tank. The unit you buy should have an FHR level within one or two gallons of your daily peak hour demand.

The U.S. Department of Energy provides information on calculating peak hour demand at their Energy Savers website.

Fuel type, availability, and cost
To make the best use of your new water heater, you need to know what kinds of fuel sources are available and the cost of that fuel. Low availability or high fuel costs can limit the types of heaters you can use.

The most common types of fuel for water heaters are:

• Electricity
• Fuel oil
• Natural gas
• Geothermal energy
• Propane
• Solar Energy

Energy efficiency
High-efficiency water heater models are available, and they can offer substantial savings on your energy bills. Carefully consider the unit’s energy factor (EF) rating, which is a measure of the heater’s general energy efficiency based on the amount of hot water produced relative to fuel use during a normal operating day. The higher the EF rating, the more efficient the water heater.

Operating costs
Before buying a water heater, determine the unit’s annual operating costs for comparison with other models with differing EF levels and other factors. The Energy Savers website provides instructions for calculating a water heater’s yearly costs.

Since 1969, Bradley Mechanical has been Central Virginia’s source for HVAC, plumbing and indoor air quality needs. Contact us todayfor answers to your questions about information on storage water heaters and how to make the best choice for your home hot water needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Bradley Mechanical services Richmond, Chesterfield, Glenn Allen, Petersburg, Hopewell, Colonial Heights and surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!