Small Businesses Can Save Big Money on Bills

Photo: Rinnai

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The following is a guest post by Heater-Home

When most small businesses look for cost-cutting tips to include in the office, they usually overlook their HVAC systems. Depending on the type of business you have, HVACs may play a huge role in your day-to-day operations. And if a water system is a significant component of your small business, you may want to consider using a tankless water heater.

Depending on the type of business you have (e.g. a small gym, restaurant, laundromat, etc), with cold weather the use of hot water increases dramatically and will likely cost your business a considerable amount of money. Most businesses typically use a standard storage water heater. However, these heaters waste a lot of energy because they switch to "stand-by" mode when hot water is not in use. When switched on and in use, they take a while to warm up, causing you to wait, resulting in loss of business efficiency.

A tankless water heater is the perfect solution for those who want instant hot water and want to save money. Tankless water heaters, which are also called instantaneous or on-demand water heaters, are becoming more popular because of their efficiency. Cold water travels through a pipe into the water heater and is then heated by an electric or gas-fired element. As a result, hot water is instantaneous, and you don't need to waste your time waiting for it to warm up. These electric water heaters can also simultaneously produce and supply endless streams of hot water to multiple outlets without the hassle of temperature fluctuation. These units are so popular that even the U.S. Department of Energy recommends them.

Key advantages of tankless water heaters:

• Space Savings - Tankless water heaters are compact units and in most cases can be wall-mounted.
• Energy-Efficiency - They are 30-50% more energy efficient than traditional water heaters.
• Money-Saving - They automatically shut off when the water supply is closed, resulting in lower utility bills.

Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Tankless Water Heater

1. Gas vs. electric

If you have a choice between gas and electric, you may be better off going with gas units, since they are typically more powerful and more energy efficient than electric units. Not all buildings can have a gas unit installed due to specific venting requirements. Electric tankless water heaters are hard wired and typically have high amperage requirements; however there are no combustion air or venting requirements with an electric unit. Electric units are primarily suitable for industrial uses when they can replace a standard tank that is using thousands of kilowatt hours per year to heat water for a bathroom that does not require much hot water. In this situation, an electric tankless heater can result in substantial savings over an existing electric tank water heater.

2. Flow rate

While tankless water heaters can provide an endless supply of hot water, they have a limitation as to how much hot water can be produced at any given time. There is also a relationship between the amount of hot water produced in gpm (gallons per minute) and the temperature rise. The temperature rise refers to the number of degrees the inlet water temperature is increased. For example, in the U.S. the average inlet water temperature is 55 degrees, so to raise the water to 115 degrees in this case would require a 60 degree temperature rise. Modern gas tankless systems can produce as much as 9 gallons of hot water per minute, which is the equivalent of four standard showers at once.

3. How much hot water do you need at one time?

Do you need to run two showers at the same time or maybe a shower and a couple of sinks? Try using 2.0 gpm for a shower and 1.0 gpm for a bathroom as a reference point in determining your total simultaneous water needs.

From Heater-Home.com. Follow Heater-Home on Twitter.

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