What Water Heater is Best for My Home?
A Buyer’s Guide
Most people take their water heater for granted, especially when it’s working well. But water heaters are important workhorses in a home and do a lot to keep you and your family comfortable.
The average household uses 65 gallons of water a day. And your water heater probably accounts for roughly 20% of your energy bill. That’s a significant percentage.
Given what an important role your water heater plays in contributing to the comfort and operation of your Massachusetts household, you want to make sure that you have the right one for your family’s needs and that it’s working well and efficiently. And if your water heater is 10 years old or older, now is the time to start researching your replacement options. Don’t wait for it to break down.
Scott Williams provides expert water heater installation, water heater repair, and water heater maintenance in Quincy, Braintree, and nearby Massachusetts towns. We also offer free estimates.
Types of Water Heaters
When it comes to water heaters, you have options—from the conventional to the cutting-edge. But no matter which type of water heater you choose, know that Scott Williams will install it properly.
Water heaters fall into a few general categories:
- Conventional or Storage Water Heaters have a tank where water is heated and stored until it’s used. They’re less expensive than tankless water heaters, but they’re also less efficient than tankless water heaters. That’s because if the hot water in the tank isn’t used and cools below a certain temperature, the water heater has to expend energy to heat it again.
- Tankless Water Heaters heat water on demand to efficiently provide an endless supply of hot water. There’s no need to wait for water in a tank to heat up. And that means there’s also no wasted energy reheating water that has cooled down in the tank. That can save you up to 40% on your water heating costs versus a conventional water heater. Tankless water heaters are smaller than conventional water heaters. They also can last almost twice as long as conventional water heaters. And since there’s no tank, there’s no risk of tank corrosion or tank failure.
- Indirect-Fired Water Heaters use your home’s heating system to heat your water. They can save you a lot of money, because when your boiler is running, it doesn’t cost you anything more to heat your home’s water. With an oil-fired unit you get additional benefits. Heating oil produces the hottest flame of any heating fuel. Oil-fired water heaters heat water three times faster than gas water heaters and five times faster than electric water heaters on average.
- Direct-Fired Water Heaters are a type of conventional or storage water heater in which a fuel like heating oil gets burned in a combustion chamber under the tank. The heated flue gases then heat the water in the tank. The tank is equipped with insulated walls to help retain the heat. The water heater turns on automatically from time to time in order to keep the water in the tank at a predetermined temperature.
If you’re ready to upgrade to a new oil-powered water heater or want a free estimate on one, Scott Williams is here to help. We’re an expert installer of water heaters for oil-heated homes.
Trust Us
You can trust Scott Williams. We’re committed to our customers. Everything we do begins and ends with service. So if you live in Massachusetts’s Suffolk, Norfolk, or Plymouth County, you can trust us to help keep you and your household comfortable.
Contact Scott Williams to learn more or to request a free estimate on an oil-powered water heater.