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action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/carbonsw/public_html/carbonswitchcms/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114We spent hundreds of hours researching hot water heaters and writing the most comprehensive guide on the internet. <\/p>\n
Looking for the best hot water heater to buy? Check out one of these guides:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Know what you’re looking for? Click any of the links below to skip ahead or keep scrolling to read the whole guide.<\/p>\n
Hot water heaters use a lot of energy. In most homes they’re responsible for about 20% of the total energy usage.<\/p>\n
Choosing the most efficient hot water heater can save you $4,800<\/b> over 10 years and reduce your carbon footprint by about 10 tons.<\/p>\n
But choosing a hot water heater is surprisingly difficult. Search online and you’re bound to find biased information from manufacturers and fake reviews.<\/p>\n
That’s why we wrote this guide. We spent hundreds of hours reading product specs, researching energy prices, and sifting through the noise to create the best hot water heater guide on the internet<\/b>. <\/p>\nHow to find a water heater that works in your home<\/h3>\n
Depending on where you live you may or may not be limited by what type of hot water heaters you can buy. The two most frequent constraints are:<\/p>\n
There are other edge cases, but these are by far the two most common constraints to consider.<\/p>\n
The next thing to consider is how much your hot water heater will cost upfront. This can be broken down into two different categories:<\/p>\n
Costs will vary depending on what type of hot water heater you choose to go with, but here are some general rules of thumb that can be helpful in thinking of the value (i.e. cost vs. what you get) for your hot water heater:<\/p>\n
In addition to the upfront cost, you\u2019ll want to consider how much it will cost to operate your hot water heater over time. There are generally two factors that influence the operating cost:<\/p>\n
If you want to understand the exact equation to determine a water heater\u2019s energy factor, this is a good guide<\/a> by the Department of Energy. But if math and acronyms like BTUs scare you, don\u2019t worry. Every hot water heater sold must include an estimate of how much it costs to operate each year. This information is usually listed on the label in yellow like the image below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But keep in mind that these estimates are based on the average cost of energy in the United States (roughly $.12 kWh).<\/p>\n If you live somewhere that energy costs more than the average it will be more. If you live somewhere that energy costs less than the average it will be less.<\/p>\n Below is a map of electricity prices by state in America. If your state is dark purple you should expect to pay more than what is listed on the Energy Star label. If it is yellow, you should expect to pay less.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The next thing you\u2019ll want to consider is how much hot water you\u2019ll need. There are two factors that influence that: <\/p>\n If you are buying a storage or heat pump (also called a hybrid hot water heater) the size will be in gallons<\/strong>. Whereas if you are buying a tankless hot water heater the size and capacity will be measured in gallons per minute (GPM).<\/strong><\/p>\n Residential energy usage is one of the biggest causes of global warming. And hot water heaters are the second most energy intensive appliance in your home, consuming roughly 20% of your home\u2019s energy. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to consider the hot water heater with the lowest carbon footprint. <\/p>\n And whether you think climate change is a hoax (we certainly hope this isn\u2019t true) or whether you\u2019re an avid environmentalist, many cities and states already regulate hot water heaters due to their energy usage. In fact, cities across the country are banning natural gas hot water heaters in new homes.<\/strong><\/p>\n Below is a chart that shows the annual emissions based on different types of hot water heaters. As you can see storage tanks are the worst for the environment, followed by electric resistance. The numbers in parentheses represent the energy factor (i.e. the energy efficiency of the unit). So as energy efficiency rises, emissions fall. <\/p>\n The most environmentally-friendly hot water heater is a solar hot water heater followed by a heat pump. <\/p>\n This graph below shows the environmental impact of various types of hot water heaters. The Y-axis shows how many kilograms of CO2 they emit per year. As you can see conventional tank hot water heaters are the least environmentally friendly. Heat pumps (Hybrid HPWH’s) are the most eco-friendly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Due to the high energy usage of hot water heaters, there are many incentives and rebates to encourage consumers to buy the most efficient models. There are five different possible incentives you can receive: <\/p>\n Depending on where you live this could result in $300-1,000 in savings.<\/strong> That\u2019s a lot of money considering that the average hot water heater is about $1,500 to install. <\/p>\n But keep in mind, you\u2019ll get the best incentives if you opt for the most energy efficient model. Many of the government and utility rebates require that you buy a model with a minimum energy factor of 2. <\/p>\n The last thing to consider when buying a hot water heater is the financing options available. Of course, this part is optional. But there is one type of financing that all homeowners should at least research before making a decision. And that\u2019s on-bill financing. <\/p>\n The way on-bill financing<\/strong> works is pretty simple. You tell your utility you want to buy a new (and more energy efficient) hot water heater and they give you the money to pay for it. Then they increase your utility bill to make their money back. <\/p>\n The difference between traditional loans is that it comes with little to no interest.<\/strong> If your hot water heater goes out, this is a good way to get some financial help to make the fix. But even if your hot water heater still works you may be able to save money each month by replacing your unit. <\/p>\n Assuming the energy efficiency upgrade is cheaper than the monthly payments, it’s essentially a free way to finance home improvements<\/strong> and cut your emissions dramatically.<\/p>\n We spent hundreds of hours researching and reviewing the best water heaters in every category. Click one of the links below to check them out.<\/p>\n Conventional water heaters<\/b><\/p>\n Heat pump water heaters<\/strong><\/p>\n Tankless water heaters<\/strong><\/p>\n Hot Water Heater Buyer’s Guide We spent hundreds of hours researching hot water heaters and writing the most comprehensive guide on the internet. Looking for the best hot water heater to buy? Check out one of these guides: Electric water heaters reviews Heat pump water heater reviews Tankless water heaters reviews Table of contents Know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"content-type":"","site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-316","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWater heater sizing guide<\/h3>\n
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The carbon footprint of your hot water heater<\/h3>\n
How to find water heater rebates and incentives <\/h3>\n
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How to finance your water heater<\/h3>\n
Keep reading<\/h3>\n
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