Should You Upgrade to a High-efficiency Water Heater?
Don’t Let Another Winter Go By Without Getting Hot Water On-Demand!
With colder weather soon coming, your home’s furnace or boiler will be back to its hard work of keeping your home warm and comfortable here on the South Shore. But there is yet another piece of your equipment that will also have an even bigger workload—It’s your home’s water heater.
If your home’s water heater is at or around 10 years old, it’s time to start thinking about upgrading to a new, high-efficiency water heater. Why put your faith in an outdated unit to make it through another harsh season? We’ll help make it easy for you—Frank Lamparelli sells, installs, and services water heaters from top manufacturers including Bosch, Ruud, Williamson, and Buderus!
If you’re on the fence about the current health of your water heater, here are three factors to consider and monitor as it begins to work harder this time of year.
Colder Water at a Greater Frequency
In the winter, fresh water that enters your home, whether it’s from a well or the public water supply, is inherently colder. The phrase “lower inlet temperature” refers to this. To reach its intended temperature, your water heater will have to work harder and consume more energy. If you notice that time lead time taking even longer than normal, there may be some bigger issues shortly at-hand.
Standing Heat Loss
A typical, traditional water heater in many South Shore homes is one that stores heated water in a tank until it is required by your faucet or supplemental appliance. Those same water heaters are commonly located in unheated basements, which can get quite chilly as the temperature falls. If your water sits in the tank for a long time, as it does when you’re away at work during the day, it loses more heat than in summer. This is what’s known as standing heat loss. It’s another reason why your water heater must work so much harder to keep your water hot in the winter months. Is your water heater up to that task?
Increased Hot Water Usage
Showers in colder months are both longer and hotter. Holiday entertaining, children home from school or college, and more laundry to be done also contribute to an increase in hot water usage. That increases the amount of demand on your water heater.
Increased work by your water heater this time of year is likely to result in higher energy costs because water consumes around 20% of your typical energy expenses. But regular maintenance can help you minimize that increase. An annual tune-up helps your water heater operate at maximum efficiency, which means it will consume less energy to heat water. While we look to tune-up your unit, we can help assess its current state, and recommend repairs or upgrades that may be needed far sooner than later.
Now is the time to invest a new, high-efficiency water heater for your home. Contact us today—we’ll be happy to provide you a FREE estimate on a model that’ll fit both your needs, and your budget. Get in touch with us before winter sets in!