Why Tankless, Hybrid Electric, and Solar Water Heaters Just Don't Work!

Tankless- expensive, high maintenance, high failure rates, high install costs, limited flow rates, poor winter performance, long payback.

Hybrid Electric- too tall, need surrounding space for heat exchange, poor durability, noisy, may need condensate pump.

Solar- requires southern exposure, cold & cloudy days: poor performance, very long payback, high install costs

What works?

The good old Storage Tank water heater- electric is OK, fast payback for gas or propane fueled(if low fuel price). Easy to maintain. Best to purchase long warranty unit for maximum durability.

How can this be? The best available technology at a reasonable cost will always prevail. And it has to, in a word, JUST WORK! With the exception, sometimes, of federal government mandated technology, (and dehumidifiers)!

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Comment by Bob Blanchette on December 19, 2012 at 8:13pm: http://www.rheem.com/documents/rhwb-specification-sheets

Comment by Bob Blanchette on December 19, 2012 at 8:12pm: Some of the newer hybrid heat systems can make tank less a good alternative. The tank less heater provides space heating with an air handler instead of using a gas furnace.

Comment by Tom Delconte on December 18, 2012 at 4:03pm: Hello Fred,

Here is an example article about what I hinted at: There have been a few notable failures in energy programs & tec... . To put it clearly, lots of times federally sponsored technology JUST DOESN'T Work! They certainly don't reflect the true costs. And the feds invest in things by jumping on the old bandwagon instead of having a rational process!

Comment by Fred Stratton on December 18, 2012 at 2:51pm: Hi Tom. Can you offer some more thoughts on that last sentence. Are you saying subsidized technologies that the feds are interested in simply don't reflect true costs? Or do you mean that the feds invest in technologies that don't make sense because they don't really work too well to begin with?

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