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Electric Vs. Gas: What’s More Affordable for Water Heaters

12 Jan 2021

Water heaters are generally not the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning, though if yours were to breakdown on you, we assure you that they will be the first thing that you think about. When you are getting a new water heater, it’s important to weigh up the options and make the best decision for you, and often, the best decision is the option that costs the least amount of money, right? We assume you do not want to sink a fortune into a water heater and that you would rather just invest in one that will save you money over time.

In this article, we are going to weigh up the pros and cons of electric and gas heaters so that you can make the best decision for you. We hope that by the end of this article you will be able to make a good decision and will be able to make a wise investment.

Electric vs. gas, what’s more affordable?

Electric v Gas water heaters

Heating water can be very expensive, in fact, according to the DoE (‘Department of Energy’), it is the second-largest expense in our homes. Because of the money that we will sink into heating our homes over the course of our lives, it is important that we find an efficient and cost-effective water heater so that we can save ourselves money. Water heaters, according to one company who offer an abundance of EcoSmart 27 review and guides, say that you must find the most efficient water heater available. Here are the different types of water heaters:

High-efficiency heater;
Solar;

Point-of-use heaters;

Some of these use gas, others use electric.

Gas or Electric

Generally, gas tends to be the more popular option for heated water tanks. That said, electric is quickly coming up and becoming more popular. While it does depend entirely on your local utility costs, electrical heaters tend to be a lot cheaper to operate than gas. Gas heaters, while cheaper to install, will cost more over time, and will be more expensive than electrical heaters by the time you have been using it for a year. Gas heaters are used more often for storage tanks and electrical heaters are used for tankless tanks.

Cost

Electrical heaters, while more expensive as a unit, are far cheaper over time. Gas heaters cost a lot of money because you have to expend a lot of energy to run them – this energy costs money. Our verdict is that electrical heaters are the cheaper option, for over time you will make savings, while with gas, over time you will spend more money.

Efficiency

Modern electrical water heaters are, without a doubt, one-hundred per cent efficient. Efficiency is something many in the 21^st-century try to live by – because of this, manufacturers of household appliances put a lot of effort into making their appliances completely efficient, so that you can save money and time. Gas boilers only have around eighty per cent efficiency, and over time, the value of efficiency decreases with a gas boiler. Additionally, gas boilers lose their heat through their roof or their ventilation system, while electrical heaters retain the temperature.

Traditional tanked water heaters use energy to keep the water warm, and while they are good at heating water up when the tank is finished, they also have very ineffective heat retention. Electrical water heaters, however, use coils to reheat the water, which means that they can keep water warm, and instantly warm water up, minimising the amount of energy that is wasted.

Tankless water heaters, while expensive, are a great option for your home. They can save you a lot of money and can ensure that you do not waste money on energy bills. They are a great addition to any home that is conscious of its carbon footprint and of how much energy it is wasting.

Control

Electrical heaters, unlike gas heaters, give you unprecedented control over your heating. You are given the ability to heat your home instantly, whereas in years gone it would take hours, and hours. With gas heaters, you must wait for the flame to heat your water, with electrical heaters, the coils can do it instantly. The control you are given over your heating with modern heating solutions is absolutely amazing and should not be wasted by using antiquated heating systems, like gas heating.

Some electrical heaters even have WiFi units and smart systems installed so that you can operate them remotely.

Modern electrical heating systems give you the ability to seize complete control over your heating and use it the way that you want to. You can set it to an exact temperature to a decimal point, use hot water whenever, and use it remotely. We definitely recommend that you invest in an electrical heater over their more antiquated gas forebears.

In this article, we hope to have explained to you the differences between gas and electrical heaters, and which is cheaper. We hope that you have enjoyed this article and found it informative. Please do return and visit us again soon! Remember, tankless water heaters, are expensive but valuable for running your property efficiently.

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