Before you decide that gas is the winner in the natural gas and propane vs electric hot water heater debate you need to consider the pros and cons of electric heaters.
Electric vs natural gas tankless water heater.
A gas tankless water heater is entirely different than an electric tankless water heater.
The following are some of the things you should consider as you choose which type of tankless water heater best meets your household needs.
In fact about the only common thing they share is that in the end they both heat water.
Whole house electric tankless water heaters cost about us 500 700 where as gas tankless water heaters generally cost us 1 000 or more especially for better quality systems with electronic ignition systems.
You can find a high quality electric water heater for as little as 500.
Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank.
A gas or electric water heater s energy factor ef is a measurement that compares the amount of hot water the heater produces per day to the amount of fuel it consumes.
Our choice for tankless water heater ecosmart eco 27 electric water heater.
Using a natural gas rate of 10 86 per 1 000 cubic feet we calculated that the payback time for converting from a storage tank gas water heater to a gas tankless ranges from 22 years to 27 years.
Here is a list of the best natural gas tankless water heaters.
Compact and energy star rated the eco 27 is a great tankless choice for the smallest apartment or largest single family.
This is due to the way that the heaters operate.
In terms of initial product cost electric tankless water heaters cost significantly less than their gas counterparts.
The initial investment is low.
From the viewpoint of cost optimization natural gas is usually a better choice because the cost of propane is usually twice that of natural gas.
While gas hot water heaters cost less to run due to the lower cost of natural gas electric heaters are actually more efficient.
A gas heater must vent the spent gas which also takes some of the heat with it.
Gas tankless water heater producers offer both natural gas and propane versions of heaters with roughly the same specifications.
Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water.