Traditionally, the water heaters in most homes contained both a water storage tank that was insulated to maintain the heat and keep the water at a specific temperature without having to constantly heat it up. The problem with this type of heater is that you’re limited to the amount of hot water stored in the tank. This can easily be depleted if two people take a shower at the same time, or the kitchen sink is running hot water for dishes while someone else runs a bath or takes a long shower.

The traditional water heaters were best in homes with one shower or that didn’t use too much hot water at any given time, but today’s homes are more convenient with several bathrooms, more sinks, and of course the clothes washing machines all often being used simultaneously! With on demand water heaters, however, you’re not limited to how much hot water is in the tank, in fact there is no tank- It’s generated ON DEMAND!

Most new homes with all the hot water taps and several bathrooms have a more efficient on demand water heater installed. This is a wonderful system because the days of running out of hot water quickly are a thing of the past. There are some drawbacks, however, of this system. It can be expensive to use. Since water has to be constantly heated when several people use it, a normal household in the morning and night, and on weekends can generate a lot of power used for heating that water. Unlike the tank of water that was generated and distributed to a limitation, the on demand water is constantly being heated as you use it. This means people are less likely to take shorter showers or to hurry up and do the dishes before the hot water runs out! This can tax your electric bill as well as your gas bill (depending on what system you use in your on demand water heater).

It would be a good idea to do some research on what the best way to go would be for your particular home and needs. Some people choose to go with two separate systems (one old school water heater tank unit, and an on demand to use when the first one runs cold). If you already have an older unit installed, adding the on demand unit will bring convenience.

Simon Harris writes about water heaters at: http://www.waterheatertalk.com

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