Gas vs electric hot water tank

[Justfishing]

Originally Posted by wiggle

Is your waterheater vented thru the roof with a metal chimney or pvc piping?
In other words, is it gravity vented or power vented?

I would definetly stay away from gravity vented waterheaters. They are energy pigs!!!

Brad

Brad

When you say gravity vented are you talking about standard tank heaters even those with the power vent. Tank water heaters of either type are the least efficient. Power vented dont really have and advantage over gravity.

There are many other types out there but they cost so much that the total cost to purchase and operate may be more than a standard tank heater. Then are some of the problems in using a tankless.


Here is part of an article I read the other day.

A research report from the Saskatchewan Research Council (Robert Dumont, Case Studies of Major Home Energy Retrofits) noted, “It appears that the power-vented water heaters deliver very little energy savings when you factor in the use of the power-vent motor.” Since the electrical consumption of power-vented gas water heaters is not subject to regulation, manufacturers have little incentive to address the issue. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy does not compile data on power-vent consumption. “We’re doing some testing of power-vented water heaters,” said Skip Hayden, senior research scientist at Advanced Combustion Technologies in Ottawa, told me in 2004. “In terms of electrical consumption, they are all over the place. We’ve seen some that draw 100 watts, and some that draw 200 watts.”