Choosing the best Hot Water system for your Lifestyle?

At Fallon Services, we want to make sure you get the right hot water system for your lifestyle. We understand how enjoyable a quality hot water system can be and want to help you find one that provides enough hot water for you and your family while being energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

If your hot water system isn’t working or you would like to upgrade it, knowing the alternatives is beneficial. It is definitely better than getting the same type of heater…There’s a lot of information out there, but how do you decide? We make the process easy for you. In this article, we discuss the types of hot water heaters available in the market and their pros and cons.

Deciding on the Best Hot Water System

1. What is available where you live?
2. New or replacement?
3. Where will it be located – inside, outside or roof mounted?
4. Do you have an existing gas connection?
5. What is your daily hot water usage – light, moderate or heavy? How often do you use hot water in the shower, bath, laundry and dishwasher daily?
6. What are the important features of a hot water system for you – purchase cost, running cost, installation cost and/or CO 2 emissions?
7. What Government rebates will you qualify for?
8. What type of hot water system is best suited to your lifestyle, location and home – Heat pump, solar, electric, gas, hybrid?
9. Size of the hot water system
10. Instant or storage hot water system

Tools to help you decide on a Hot Water System

With so much to consider, it can be a real challenge to choose the best hot water system for your lifestyle. Find out more about the best hot water system size for you.

Types of Hot Water Systems

The first step is to decide the fuel source – electricity, gas or solar?

Electric Hot Water Systems – they are the cheapest options, easy to install and operate. However, they do cost a lot more to run. It can be slightly cheaper if running on off-peak electricity. They are getting more efficient all the time but they are also a poor choice if you want to focus on your carbon footprint.

Solar Hot Water Systems – Runs on solar energy, so a solar hot water system may be expensive to install. However, it will pay for itself in the long run due to its low operating costs. Government rebates can also offset the initial cost. They are also good for the environment and will help lower your carbon footprint.

Gas Hot Water Systems – they are great if you have gas connected to your household already. It is cheaper to run and install compared to electric water heaters.

Heat pump hot water systems – They are 3 times more efficient than electric heaters. They use electricity only to pump the refrigerant around and extract the heat from the outside air to heat water. They don’t require solar panel installation. Plus they are a perfect option to save money whilst causing minimum harm to the environment.

Storage or Tankless Hot Water Heaters?

With an instant water heater, you will not run out of hot water. You will get hot water on demand. The water is heated as you use it. However, it will need to be placed close to the water outlets.

They can be ideal for small households with low water demand. Continuous flow water heaters last longer than storage water heaters. They also take up less space and can be installed anywhere. The initial cost can be higher than a storage heater. However, they can reduce your energy costs. The added bonus – they can last for nearly 20-30 years which offsets the initial installation cost.

However, instant water heaters might not fit your requirements. A storage tank heater might be a suitable option. Storage heaters have low installation costs. They can cater to higher water demand. Although they require regular servicing and the parts might need replacement from time to time.

As your local licensed plumber, Fallon Services are a valuable source of advice when considering which system is best suited for your lifestyle.