Tips in Choosing the Most Energy-Efficient Hot Water System for Large Homes

May 16, 2019

Following this simple arithmetical progression, more hot water is depleted when there are more people living in a larger home. Even if that property isn’t packed with people, excessive amounts of waterborne energy are spent because the fluid has so far to travel. It’s a conundrum for sure, one that this list of energy-saving tips will seek to address. Starting with tankless hot water heating, let’s document those tips.

Install a Tankless Hot Water System

When a home has 3 or 4 bathrooms, the laws of diminishing returns begin to take hold. A larger storage tank experiences more energy losses. Split throughout a property, several water heaters suffer the same fate. Install a large flowrate tankless system as an on-demand solution.

Point Of Use Appliances

Energy losses take place between hot water appliances and their destinations. That’s a difficult problem to solve, even when the pipes and fittings are enshrouded in layers of insulation. To eliminate heavy thermal losses, a series of smaller point of use hot water systems can be installed close to each bathroom or kitchen.

Target Size-Relevant Features

A Litres Per Minute rating is relevant. Less relevant here, the appliance’s material build affects equipment longevity, not thermal capacity. Other system features, ones that influence energy losses in larger houses, include flow control electronics, pressure regulating fittings, and fuel/electricity management mechanisms. The pressure and temperature controls need to deliver heat, even when two or more showers are running at the same time.

Equipped With Smart Energy Efficiency Ratings

Not only energy efficient, smart hot water systems actually adjust their flow rates in real time to save even more energy. A plus 90% energy efficiency rating will cut back on heat losses in a big home. Supporting this Energy Star implemented system attribute, an intelligent real-time controller varies flow rates and temperature settings.

Exploring Alternative System Architectures

A large tank is out; the losses tendered by such an appliance build are hard to address. The best alternative solution is to use point-of-use heating and/or tankless equipment. If it looks like a multiple appliance layout won’t create an energy-efficient solution, investigate another approach. One answer here is to install a whole-home manifold system.

That last tip requires some possibly expensive home remodelling, for there’s a whole new pipe layout to plan. Other whole-system pipe networks necessitate similar costs, with light construction work eating out big chunks of installation capital. Granted, the cost will be recouped over time. Still, tankless heaters, equipped with smart flow and heat saving electronics, provide less expensive avenues towards the same results. Now, with the tanks gone and the thermal management systems active, a big home can switch on its spa while someone takes a shower down the hall.

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