If you’re replacing your existing water heater or adding a bathroom or utility space, you’ll need to choose a new water heater. But this can be tough if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. We put together an easy-to-follow checklist below that can help you narrow down your options and pick the right heater for your needs.
Choose Your Fuel Source
The first step in choosing a new water heater is to decide how you’ll power it. This may be decided for you depending on what kind of options your space allows. Most homes and workplaces can accommodate an electric water heater, and these are arguably the most common.
Second to electric are natural gas or propane water heaters, which can be installed where there are gas lines or a propane tank to connect to. If you’re looking for the maximum energy efficiency, you may even want to consider a solar water heater.
Determine Your Total Water Heating Needs
The next step is to know how much hot water you’re going to need on average throughout the day. This will help you choose the right capacity heater.
If you’re installing a new hot water heater in your home, you’ll want to consider things like how large your family is and if there are times when multiple people are using hot water at once. If you own a business, you’ll want to consider things like the type of work you do, whether customers or employees need access to hot water, and how long during the day you will be using water.
Decide On the Type of Water Heater You Want
There are multiple types of water heaters to choose from, even within a single fuel-source category. For example, heat pump, tank-style, and tankless hot water heaters are usually electric. To determine which kind of water heater would fit your space best, you’ll need to factor in things like:
- Your upfront and long-term water heating budget
- Whether you need hot water on demand
- The overall quality of the water in your area
- Whether you’re supplementing an existing hot water heater
- Whether you have a warm, ventilated space for your heater
- If there are rebates or incentives for upgrading
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Consider Features and Energy Efficiency
Finally, it’s time to take a look at what features you want in a hot water heater, including how energy-efficient you’d like it to be. Water heaters with more bells and whistles tend to be more expensive to install, but they can also help save you money in the long run with lower electric or gas bills.
Some exciting features to consider shopping for include:
- High Flow Rate. This is the number of gallons of hot water delivered per minute.
- High First-Hour Rating (FHR). This is a measurement of how much hot water the appliance delivers within the first hour of its use.
- High Energy Factor (EF) Rating. A higher EF rating means that a water heater uses less energy to warm water to the same temperature as a lower-rated appliance.
- High Recovery Rate. This is a measurement of how quickly a water heater will be able to produce a substantial amount of hot water again.
- Wi-Fi Integration. This allows you to control water heater settings with the click of a button on your smartphone.
- Leak Detection. A leak detection system can help identify water leaks before they cause serious damage to underlying structures.
- Smart Temp Control. Some tankless and point-of-use hot water heaters allow you to use different temperature settings for showering, washing dishes, or doing laundry.
Consult With a Water Heating Professional
Are you ready to choose a new water heater? N.E.T.R., Inc. is here to guide you through the process so you can select the perfect appliance to fit your project. Whether you need a basic, more affordable model or something with a lot of money-saving features, our team will help you choose the right unit for what you need.
Contact us today to learn more, or call (781) 933-6387 to schedule a custom quote with one of our experienced Boston water heater technicians.
