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Southern Pine does NOT recommend tankless electric water heaters to its members.
There's alot of talk about energy efficiency today, and we all need to be concerned and do our part to save energy and save our hard-earned dollars. One topic many have been asking about lately is the tankless electric water heater. The tankless electric water heater is exactly what the name implies: a water heater with no holding tank. It heats water on demand rather than storing hot water for later use.
That may sound like a great idea, but it's really NOT. The major limitation of tankless water heaters is that they may not supply enough hot water at average temperatures (120 to 125 degrees) for normal daily activities like showering, dish washing and laundry. That can mean major inconveniences in the typical American household.
Also, tankless water heaters are very expensive. Models that supply five gallons per minute can cost $1,000 or more. If you consider the initial cost of the unit, not considering the additional installation cost, it could take about 34 years to recover your investment. Since the average life of a water heater is approximately 20 years, it's unlikely those dollars will ever be recouped.
The wiring requirements of these unites are BIG. Some can draw as much as 36,000 watts! That can often equal or exceed the load of an entire home. Since it takes so much electricity to operate them, Southern Pine requires members installing a tankless electric water heater to be placed on its commercial rate and billed for kilowatt hours as well as demand.
Here's another point to consider: Tankless electric water heaters can cause the lights in your home to start flickering and dimming unless electrical service has been upgraded.
For more informatin on the pros and cons of tankless electric water heaters, call the Member Services Department at Southern Pine Electric Cooperative at 251.867.5415 or email jkirkland@southernpine.org.
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