Water heaters are one of the top energy consumers in a household. Using water heaters can also cause your household expenses to soar up so high, so it pays to take in choosing what kind of water heater you should use. This becomes even more important especially since there are so many different kinds. If there are electric water heaters, there also are solar water heaters. Then there are the tankless water heater, the indirect water heater, the storage water heater, and the water heater pump. With all these different kinds of water heater, exactly which one should you use?

To place yourself in a position where you know enough to make an informed choice, read on about the different kinds of water heaters. They all have unique characteristics. And they all affect your household expenses in different ways. Starting with electric water heaters, these heaters use up the most energy, among all the different kinds of water heaters. Yes, it may be more convenient to use, but its mere name indicates that it is based solely on pulling energy and making your expenses soar. Next, the solar water heater is exactly the opposite of an electric water heater. Since solar water heaters, as the name implies, uses the sun’s heat and energy to heat up water, the costs are definitely minimal, aside, of course, from an expensive initial investment. But yes, that’s what it is, an investment. Solar water heaters may cost a lot at first, but it can also bring a lot of benefits later on. The only downside is that a solar water heater may not work for everyone. Some factors are still concerned with its effective use, such as your location and the direction to which your roof is facing. Despite this, it’s worth a look.

Moving on, we also have the storage water heaters. These are still fueled by electricity, so you can still expect considerable costs should you choose to use these. What a storage water heater does is store up heated water. The downside is that it heats up water even when it is uncalled for, so it also uses up electricity a lot. So on we go to tankless water heaters, which is the opposite of storage water heaters. Since they don’t have a tank, it does not store up water and only starts heating when it is called for. This equates to lower consumption of energy, which may sound like heaven to your ears. The downside, of course, is that if there are plenty of you in the house, the tankless water heaters may find it hard to keep up with the need for hot water.

So, to eliminate having to worry about the capacity of tankless water heaters, you may go with indirect water heaters. Indirect water heaters take away the energy consumption associated with storing up water, but without the limitations of tankless water heaters. We also have the water heater pump, which, in most cases, is more efficient because instead of producing heat, it simply takes heat from one place and transfers it to another.

Now that you know the basics about the different kinds of water heaters, you are in a much better position to decide which one to use. As you select, let these factors guide you to the best water heater for your needs. These factors are the energy consumption, the capacity, and the first-hour rating, which measures the effects of the tank size and how fast the heater heats up water. The first-hour rating is usually found at the user’s manual. So go ahead and make that decision so you can start heating water up.