Everyone loves hot water. There’s nothing like a hot shower or bath at the end of a long day. And from hand washing to washing dishes, hot water makes for a more hygienic home. To generate hot water in the home, every house needs either a gas or electric water heater. But which is better? The truth is, it depends on your personal tastes and your home. Here is what you need to know about water heaters.
How to Tell if a Water Heater is Gas or Electric
Do you have a gas or electric water heater? It’s a question you usually don’t think about until you’re on the phone with your plumber. Luckily, both types of heaters have defining characteristics that are easy to pick out. If your water heater has a pilot light (a small flame typically near the bottom of the heater), it is a gas heater. If your water heater has an electrical cord plugged into the wall (usually coming out of the top of the heater), it is an electric water heater.
Pros of a Gas Water Heater
Gas water heaters are a great choice for those who want to save money on their energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Gas water heaters are also more efficient than electric models, as they do not require electrical power to heat water. This means that you’ll end up spending less on electricity in the long run, which can add up over time if you’re heating large amounts of water in your home every day. Gas heaters are also great during power outages, as they don’t rely on electricity. That means you can still enjoy a hot shower, even if you can’t watch Netflix.
Cons of a Gas Water Heater
There are some drawbacks to a gas water heater. For one thing, not every home has access to natural gas so you might have to get an expensive conversion kit for your furnace if you want to install one of these systems.
Gas water heaters also tend to be less safe than electric models: if something goes wrong with them (or if they’re improperly installed), they can produce carbon monoxide fumes that are dangerous for anyone living in the home or even passing by it on the street outside. That’s why it’s important to regularly check them out and make sure everything is working properly.
Pros of an Electric Water Heater
If you’re looking at the two types of water heaters, an electric one might seem like a strange choice. But, there are some benefits to this technology that make it worth considering. For example, electric models are safer than gas models. They don’t require you to deal with flammable gasses, so there’s less chance of fire if something goes wrong (or even if everything works perfectly). An electric heater heats up your water quicker than a gas one. In fact, it only takes about 20 minutes for an electric tank to get hot compared with over an hour for a standard gas model. Electric water heaters also tend to be less expensive than their natural counterparts, both upfront and over time because they have fewer moving parts when it comes time for repairs or maintenance down the road. Perhaps most importantly: no pilot light means no relighting when you turn on the faucet after months without using it.
Cons of an Electric Water Heater
As you might expect, the cons of an electric water heater are related to its advantages. For instance, while purchase price and maintenance may be lower for electric heaters, electric models cost more to operate than gas-powered heaters. The average electric water heater costs about $410 per year in energy usage, which is about 10% higher than the cost of running a gas-powered model. This may not seem like much, but it can add up when you’re using your hot water all day long. If your power goes out while you’re taking a shower or doing laundry (or any other time when you need hot water), an electric model won’t be able to provide warmth until power is restored and the temperature can be raised again.
Conclusion
With the different types of water heaters available, it can be overwhelming to decide which one is best for your home. We hope that this article has given you some insight into gas vs electric water heaters and helped you make an informed decision about which type would work best in your situation. Have more questions? Feel free to reach out to us for any plumbing help you need!
