Let's talk about water heaters.

Most homes have them but they are usually tucked away inside a closet or in the garage somewhere. Do you even know what kind you have in your home? There are 2 types - tank vs tankless. For homes that only have electric, you most likely have a tank-style water heater. Those lucky to have natural gas or propane lined in your house may have a tankless water heater. When choosing a water heater I recommend 2 different brands. 

For tankless, gas water heaters, the Navien NHW-A series is one of the best brands in this industry. They are currently the #1 manufacturer of all gas tankless water heaters in North America. It’s a great option for homeowners to save on their energy bills while enjoying faster hot water. Here are just some highlights:

1. No “cold water sandwich effect”. This series is the first non-condensing gas tankless water heater with their ComfortFlow built-in recirculation pump and buffer tank so the user won’t experience the brief period of cold water flow after a hot water demand is initially met. Navien has fine-tuned their recirculation system to allow for internal and external recirculation, even without an external line or crossover valve. This series has 5 different recirculation modes: internal, always on, intelligent preheat, scheduled, and on-demand HotButton.
   
2. Indoor or Outdoor! This series can be installed both inside the home and exterior depending on your preference. For indoors, you would choose the NHW-AI heaters, and for exterior use you would select one of the NHW-AE.
   
3. These tankless water heaters operate on either natural gas or liquid propane, so we could always add a propane line to your house if you are not already plumbed for natural gas.
   
4. 0.81 UEF compared to the traditional tank-style water heater of 0.58-0.61 UEF. UEF is the Universal Energy Factor rating that measures the energy efficiency for residential water heaters under simulated standardized conditions for a 24-hour period. 0.81 means that 81% of the energy put into the water heater was used to heat the water, while the remaining 19% was lost as waste heat. The higher the rating, the more efficient and will cost less to operate. 
   
5. Navien uses a stainless heat exchanger and stainless steel burner which gives you better performance and durability. Other water heaters use copper heat exchangers that do not last as long as the stainless one. This along with other durable components that Navien uses is backed by a 15-year warranty.
   

For a tank-style water heater, I would recommend the Essency EXR electric water heater. This innovative, new take on the water heater is sweeping the nation. Essency is the first electric water heater that has all the advantages of a tankless heater. 

1. The EXR uses SmartCore Technology to detect requests for hot water and instantly heats your water on demand, at exactly the right temperature. When the hot water is turned on, fresh water is run through a heat exchanger. The water you use never mixes with the water stored in the core tank which acts as a heat source, which results in immediate hot water for the whole household.
   
2. Longevity. The traditional tank-style water heaters last only 6-8 years, but the EXR is built of a tough polymer material that last 3x longer than metal. It is powerful and lightweight and scale cannot form inside the tank. It can last 30+ years.
   
3. Essency is the first residential electric water heater with an industry-leading 80 gallon First Hour Rating, which allows it to handle even the largest of households.
   
4. You can control the water heater with the touch of an app. You can customize your water usage with Vacation, Boost, Water Saver, and Heat+ functions. Wifi allows the user to detect early warning alerts and install upgrades, which further extends the EXR’s lifespan.
   
5. The EXR heater doesn’t consume the 55 gallons of water that is stored in the tank. Instead, the static water acts as a heat storage. The tank is only filled once during the unit’s initial installation. The water will remain in there throughout the life of the water heater. 
   

Please give us a call so we can evaluate your existing water heater and see which one best suits your home. Our technician, Craig, is knowledgeable with both of these brands and can answer any of your questions you may have as well as install them for you as well!