Gas Continuous Flow vs Tankless Electric Hot Water System Prices
A question we get asked all the time is why is there such a difference between gas continuous flow and tankless electric hot water system prices? And the basic answer is very simple, a gas water heater and an electric water heater while both producing hot water are very different. The operating principles are similar yet none of the components are the same. One is very efficient and can save energy and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions while the other is heavily reliant on a large energy supply.
Before we get into why and what we need to have a basic understanding of how the units work and how this effects unit, installation and water temperature
running costs.
Gas instantaneous also known as continuous flow hot water systems run off either LPG or Natural gas. LPG can be either supplied by mains directly to your household or stored onsite in bottles and Natural gas can be supplied by mains only. Having the ability to store LPG gas onsite reduces the chance of non-supply by outside factors, an important factor with those wishing to stay self-sufficient. Non to be confused with a gas storage system the gas boosted continuous flow unit operates as soon as the water at your tap is turned on. When the unit senses cold water moving it will start a basic sequence of events which generally consists of a fan starting, water temperature monitoring, gas vales opening, ignition then non stop monitoring and hot water control. A standard continuous flow unit can consist of upwards of 500 parts and more computing power than the majority of computers 20 years ago. With the additional of forced air induction, the gas instant hot water heater has a very high efficient rating with input to output energy loss down to 15% of some models.
Tankless electric hot water system prices can be a lot lower than gas units and for one major factor. The are extremely basic and can run with very few moving parts, they also have minimal monitoring required and with no exhaust gas they can be very compact. Similar to gas the electric hot water system senses water movement and turns on a heating element which generally wraps around copper pipework running through the unit. The heat is then absorbed by the pipework through to the water and pushed to the required outlet. While very basic these units are extremely expensive to run. Unlike solar hot water systems they are not very energy efficient and cannot be run or systems such as photovoltaic electric solar systems due to needing power at night, domestic battery system and generally no equipped to run such large power draw at a time and off peak cost saving tariffs mean you would not have the option of hot water during peak usage periods. To get the equivalent volume of water through these units a standard home would use generally means the addition of 3 phase power or single phase lines that are generally too big for you standard home circuit to operate.
Deciding what type of hot water heater you require comes down to many factors such as upfront price, running costs, availability of gas and space. If space is an issue such as internal units or apartment blocks then a instantaneous electric hot water system can be a good option especially if it is only required to operate a single tap that has minimal use such as a kitchen sink in an office or a hand basin. When it comes to full time domestic use the running costs will get out of hand very quickly. Systems such as a heat pump while unsightly would have significant environmental and cost saving over a very short period of time. In comparison with gas tankless hot water systems there is minimal advantage as gas units are extremely efficient, have a larger operating range, lower running costs, less reliance on unsustainable energy sources and fit into nearly as many tight spaces with internal and external units available.
When it comes to the numerous ways you can heat water it comes down to price as the deciding factor 9 times out of ten. Tankless electric hot water system prices while having relatively low unit and replacement unit costs have high upfront installation and running factors to consider. In comparison tankless gas hot water systems which more expensive to supply and replace are generally cheaper on the initial installation and a lot cheaper to run. Taking in account higher maintenance, service and repair costs we have calculated overall tankless electric hot water system prices to be around 2-3 times that of their gas equivalents for the average Australian family.
When it comes time for your new build, renovation or hot water replacement we recommend you spend as much time as needed researching systems as well as checking our help guide for all your sizing requirements and running cost estimates. Once you have finished there head to our extensive range of hotwater systems all with buy online or pay on completion options. Add that to our 110% price beat guarantee there is no better time than now to get the best gas and tankless electric hot water system prices in town.
