You have two main choices as a homeowner when it comes to your water heater: a heat pump water heater or a tankless one. They’re both great choices, but are they really equal? Do the pros and cons weigh in fair balance, or does your specific usage case gravitate to one more than the other? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Heat pump water heaters in Sacramento, CA need to be installed by a professional plumber, so once you’re ready to make your choice between that or a tankless unit, we’re here to help you get the whole process started.
Pros and Cons of Heat Pump Water Heaters
Heat pump water heaters tend to be pretty good, but they’re not perfect. Let’s go over some of the pros and cons surrounding them before you make your decision.
- Pro: Energy Efficient: These use less electricity to heat water than traditional water heaters. In short, you save money in the long run.
- Pro: More Environmentally Friendly: If you’re eco-conscious, you’ll be happy to know that you save more water and help the planet with a heat pump water heater.
- Pro: Better Installation Options: These water heaters don’t have as many limitations as traditional tank water heaters. You can install them in many more places in your home.
- Con: High Initial Price: These aren’t exactly cheap to install, so while they have their benefits, it’s a bit of sticker shock at the front door.
- Con: Cold Climate Performance: Heat pumps require heat from the surrounding area to operate, so they’re a little less efficient than you might think in cold climates.
Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters have their benefits, but they may not be right for you. There are a few downsides we want to go over as well, so let’s take a look.
- Pro: Energy Efficiency: If your goal is to save water, and therefore save money, a tankless water heater will help you get there. They only heat water as needed, so you aren’t paying money for a whole tank full of hot water that you keep heated 24/7.
- Pro: Saves Space: Tankless water heaters don’t have a tank (as you might imagine), so they take up a fraction of the space of that old tank water heater.
- Pro: Long Lifespan: Your tankless water heater will last for ages if you take care of it properly–that means no skipping maintenance.
- Con: Not Instant: While tankless water heaters can supply you with unlimited hot water, they can sometimes take around 10 seconds up to 120 seconds to get fired up enough to produce that hot water.
- Con: More Susceptible to Hard Water: Hard water is bad for water heaters, but because of how compact tankless units are, hard water buildup can be an even bigger problem here.
Which Will You Choose?
What use case makes the most sense for you? Do you think your family would benefit from a tankless water heater, or does a heat pump water heater just sound great to you?
Whatever you choose, you don’t have to go it alone. We’re ready and willing to get this project off the ground for you and change the way you use hot water in your home.
Contact The Guys in the Big Red Trucks of Sierra Pacific Home & Comfort, Inc. today to schedule your heat pump water heater installation as soon as possible.