If you live around Lowell like we do, you probably rely heavily on your water heater in the colder months of the year. Whether it be for cooking, bathing or helping heat the house, hot water is essential to the lives of most people, unless of course they don’t enjoy cooked food, hot showers or warm homes.

When it comes to hot water, our professionals at Milltown Plumbing in Lowell recommend the tankless water heater. This system, which heats up the water instantaneously as it passes through the appliance, can offer savings down the road and is also less likely to leave you stranded with a cold shower on those negative degree January New England mornings.

Below are a few key features of tankless water heaters to consider before putting any more money into your traditional unit.

1. Maintenance Costs: Traditional tank-based water heaters are built to last 10-15 years and can require multiple maintenance visits to keep them up and running. Tankless units, when properly installed, can last up to 20 years. This nearly doubles the lifespan of some traditional water tank units, and saves you money on both repairs and replacements down the road.

2. Space: Traditional water heats can be monstrous. Having to hold gallons of water, they can take up an entire corner in a basement, or if you don’t have a basement, valuable closet space in your living area. Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, require almost no space.Since the unit holds no water save for the small amount in the heat exchanger coil to be heated, the appliances need little room to operate. Tankless water heats can be installed pretty much anywhere in the house, whether it be a smaller unit near a point of point-of-use (like a shower or sink) or a larger unit to act as a central heating source in a centralized location. Regardless of how you choose to install them, tankless water heaters can bring back your previously occupied basement and closet space.

3. Energy Costs: This may be the biggest benefit of all. Although the prices of gas and oil are currently on a downswing, energy is still on everyone’s mind. When properly installed, tankless water heaters offer a host of energy saving perks. These include reduced water usage from not needing to run the faucet or shower to get hot water, to improved energy efficiency when running a device that only heats the water you need. These small price cuts can seem low at first, but over the 20 year lifespan of a tankless water heating unit, they can add up to some serious savings.

If a tankless water heater sounds like the answer to your hot water needs, call Milltown Plumbing in Lowell today to have your hot water ready in an instant. Never fear cold water again!

By Michelle Fadeley