I’ve followed the tankless water heater debates for some time now, and I always dismissed tankless as a very small, niche product-good for point of use, but not much else.
I’ve been looking at various solar collector booster systems this afternoon, and came across
Stiebel Eltron Tempra whole house electric tankless units. Wonder is anyone here has any input on these units. I’m guessing that the installation may be cheaper, but not by much (less re-plumbing & venting, more electrical work).
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Hi,
The installation may not be that simple, in that they require a high amperage service.
I'd keep looking for a solar one :)
Gary
I'd love to do solar...wish they still had the tax credits, hope they get renewed with a new administration, and hope the prices start coming down with more volume production.I'm in the frozen north, so it makes for either a glycol w/heat exchange, or a drain down system.
Hi,
I may be reading this wrong, but it looks to me like the tax credits for solar water heating and PV are good for systems "placed in service" by Dec 31, 2008.This is from
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#s4Look under the "Solar Energy Systems" heading.---
I've assembled a bunch of solar water heating info here:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm
might be helpful.Gary
That's easy ... except for the solar part ... at night.
Do a focusing solar collector ... temps up to several hundred degrees! You could even generate electrical power w/ the steam.
Seriously, probably not a practical thing ... low temp solar is an inexpensive approach.
Tankless is best for occasional uses ... it eliminates the standby energy loss. If you use hot water regularly, the tankless offers very little in terms of energy and if you lose power, your tank style will give you some hot water for a short period. If you are replacing a water heater and looking for alternatives, consider a high efficiency gas water heater (90+ efficiency). Tankless can be expensive; you should choose the right equipment for the right application