When it comes to the modern water heater market, there are several options to choose from. Knowing which to choose is not always intuitive for the average person, so our team of expert plumbers at Performance Plumbing has created this quick guide to San Francisco tankless water heating to help you better understand your options. San Francisco tankless water heating can have a lot of advantages for many property owners in San Francisco, but it may not be right for everyone, so taking a few moments to quickly read through this guide may be a big help as you explore the water heater market.

What is tankless water heating
Tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand by heating water only when hot water is needed. This process is in contrast with conventional storage tank water heaters, which constantly use energy to maintain a specific temperature of hot water.

Within the category of tankless water heaters, there are also various options related to aspects like capacity, brand, and other types of variables.

What are the advantages
There are several advantages to tankless water heaters which may be particularly of interest to San Francisco property owners, and also property owners in other urban cities and other parts of the Bay Area.

One of the top advantages of tankless water heaters is that they are often compact because they don’t need to store a high volume of water that sits around waiting to be used, so they don’t need to take up a lot of space. This can be a big advantage for a property where free space is particularly valuable, providing the opportunity for more free space to be used for other purposes like other appliances or just more general living or working area.

Another advantage of tankless water heaters is that they tend to consume less energy than conventional storage tank water heaters, because they don’t need to constantly maintain a hot water temperature for a tank full of water that is primed and waiting to be used. Instead, tankless water heaters only heat the water when it is needed, and thus mostly only use energy when hot water is being used. For people wanting to reduce their energy bill or energy expenditure for other reasons like environmental concerns, this may be seen as a big plus.

What are the disadvantages
Tankless water heaters tend to be more expensive than conventional storage tank water heaters. While tankless water heaters may save energy over time, the higher up-front cost dissuades some property owners from purchasing tankless water heaters if they’re looking for a cheaper solution short-term. Despite the energy savings over time, it may actually take several years to save enough money on energy to offset the initial higher cost of the waterless tank heater, depending on market prices for the water heaters and current cost of energy in San Francisco.

While most water heaters are very reliable these days, you can also consider whether or not repairs are needed. If repairs are needed at any point, those costs could push back the break-even point even further out.

Therefore, the main drawback of tankless water heaters is typically cost up front. For many homeowners in San Francisco, this may actually not be a big disadvantage compared to other benefits like saving space and saving energy.

Is it right for you? Talk to an expert
Knowing whether or not a tankless water heater is right for your needs depends on a lot of details, like what you value in terms of price, space, and energy consumption. Which water heater to choose to install also depends on how many people are at your property, what their behavior is like, and what your longer-term plans are compared to your current short-term situation. It’s also important to know what the current market prices and products are like, to understand the full set of costs and benefits involved.

Overall, we highly recommend talking to an expert before deciding whether or not to move forward with a tankless water heater installation project. As one of the top plumbing teams serving San Francisco, we recommend you give us a call or send us an email to get all the details you need based on your specific needs and situation. Get in touch with us today and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help you get started right away!