Keeping Your Home Safe and Sound When You’re Vacation-Bound

leaving home safe and sound, Long Island, New YorkIf you’re eagerly anticipating a much-needed family vacation, make sure everything’s in order before you head out. By completing the following measures before you pull out of the driveway, you can enjoy peace of mind on your trip, knowing you’re keeping your home safe and sound during your absence. Continue reading “Keeping Your Home Safe and Sound When You’re Vacation-Bound”

Water Heater Maintenance: How Pro Help Will Extend The Life Of Your System

water heater maintenance, Long Island, New YorkFrom the moment you wake up, you rely on hot water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. Because of this, you may take the luxury of having a water heater for granted. It is critical, however, for homeowners to understand the importance of routine water heater maintenance. Continue reading “Water Heater Maintenance: How Pro Help Will Extend The Life Of Your System”

Avoid The Big Chill With A Water Heater Tune-Up

water heater tune-up, Long Island, New YorkYour water heater works hard on a daily basis to provide a continuous supply of hot water. To maintain continuous function, it’s necessary to schedule a regular water heater tune-up.   Continue reading “Avoid The Big Chill With A Water Heater Tune-Up”

Replacing Your Water Heater: Tips For Comparison Shopping

replacing your water heater, Long Island, New YorkMost homeowners take their water-heating systems for granted, enjoying hot showers and not giving a thought to what’s supplying the comfort. But when hot showers turn cold, replacing your water heater may be the only remedy. Continue reading “Replacing Your Water Heater: Tips For Comparison Shopping”

How To Get Peak Performance From Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are a great way to save money on heating water for your home. However, like with any other home comfort equipment, there are ways to optimize energy efficiency and get the best possible performance from your tankless heater. Continue reading “How To Get Peak Performance From Tankless Water Heaters”

Questions to Ask When Choosing a New Water Heater

Water heaters are one of the biggest drains on a house’s energy, especially as they begin to age.There are a few things to consider when picking a new water heater.  First, which system should you get? Here are some of your options: Continue reading “Questions to Ask When Choosing a New Water Heater”

Tankless Water Heater Facts for Homeowners

With an increasing interest in energy  efficient appliances for the home, tankless water heaters are often viewed as an attractive, cost-saving option. While conventional water heaters utilize storage tanks  to hold  the heated water for use, energy loss can occur when these units are operating in standby mode.   Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, heat the water only as it is needed. This saves money by eliminating the potential for energy loss and the associated costs. In fact, ENERGY STAR® estimates that a typical family can save $100 or more per year with an ENERGY STAR qualified tankless water heater.

So, just how do tankless water heaters work? When the hot water tap is engaged, cold water flows into a heat exchanger located inside the tankless unit. If the unit is electric, an electric element heats the water. If it is a gas-fueled unit, a gas burner  provides the energy to heat  the water. It is because of this method that  tankless water heaters are able to  provide an almost continual supply of hot water.

Tankless  water heaters typically  provide hot water at a rate of 2 to 5 gallons (7.6 to 15.2 liters) per minute. Therefore, it is important to first consider how hot water will be utilized before purchasing a tankless unit for your home or business. For example, point-of-use units, or even smaller tankless water heaters, may not be able to keep up with the demand of multiple appliances running at once. For this reason, you may wish to consider installing separate tankless water heaters, or even a whole-house unit to ensure the highest efficiency.

Tankless water heaters  can cost more than conventional storage water heaters. You may find, however,  that any initial cost increase is generally off-set by the energy savings tankless units can provide.

T.F. O’Brien services the Long Island, New York area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about preventive maintenance and other HVAC topics, please download our free  Home Comfort Resource guide.