If you are carrying out home improvement through the renovation of your house and feel like replacing your old appliances such as hot water system with a new and updated version, it is advised to make the investment only after an extensive research. Since such systems are used extensively in a house from the bathroom for showering to in the kitchen and for laundry as well, you need to find one that fits all your water consumption needs while falling under your budget. Now you can find best hot water systems in the market including gas hot water system, electric and solar hot water system. So, you need to choose the comfortable one which will save your power consumption cost, and which will provide you the best heating possibility.
Types of Hot Water Systems
Depending on the frequency of consumption of hot water daily and other such factors, such systems are available in two types:
- Storage: The insulated storage tanks are used to store heated water that can be gradually consumed over the course of the day. Although they can be run on solid fuels and peak electricity as well, they pose as highly economical when running on natural gas or solar energy. The installer can tell you about the best type for you according to the local water quality of your area. The solar hot water system can charge you higher rate at the time of installation, but it will save you power consumption cost in future. Else you can also choose the gas hot water system which will take minimum gas and save your cost too. But electric hot water system is the most popular one because it will cost you less and you can easily get various storage tanks with this hot water system.
- Continuous Flow: As the name suggests, this system provides a continuous flow of hot water whenever required throughout the day by heating the water instantaneously when required. In contrast to the storage system, one can thus not run out of the hot water through this unit. They can also be conveniently installed either internally or externally on a wall or in a cupboard and run on electricity or gas, as suitable. They are also a cheaper alternative as there is no heat loss in this unit.
Heating Methods of Hot Water Units
Each type of hot water unit can use various heating options for working including the following:
- Natural gas can be used for both variants of a hot water system and is an economical variant owing to its energy efficiency star rating.
- Electric heaters are cheap to buy and install but are expensive to run. These are available in two variants of off-peak electricity which is applicable for storage units and has low running costs, and peak electricity applicable to both systems but with high running costs.
- Heat pumps are more efficient than electric water systems and use the refrigerant gas to extract heat from the atmosphere and warm the water.
- Solar fuel is another alternative which uses wood or coal to heat the water and consists of solar collector panels and a storage tank. Although they are expensive to install, they are a viable investment owing to its low running costs in the future.
The number of residents in the house, the usage of hot water, and the budget of a household determines the type of hot water one should install. The reputation of the company providing the hot water unit also ensures that you get a quality product at the best deal. You can search them online and you can also compare their price according to their features before you buy.
