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by Editors of Consumer Reports
No ratings are included here, but this detailed article gets to the essential question: Will you eventually recoup the expense of a tankless water heater over a standard water heater? Editors test two… tankless models, comparing energy costs, installation costs and ease of use. A poll of 1,200 readers also adds insight into overall satisfaction with tankless water heaters. In the end, editors conclude that the long payback period might not be worth it to you in the end.
by Editors of FindSolar.com
This site is an excellent starting point for choosing a water heater, because the interactive tool shows you all the information you need to decide whether or not a solar hot water heater will meet your… needs. The calculations take into account your state, county, utility company and rates. (You can enter the correct current rates if the online database is outdated.) You get an estimate not only of the cost of the system, but of any applicable rebates and tax credits, the annual dollar savings, payback period and increase in your property value.
by Michael Chandler
This review in Fine Homebulding, a print and online publication aimed at professional builders, is also valuable for do-it-yourself homeowners. This specific article solves several problems often… encountered with tankless water heaters, with cost estimates and full details. Other relevant articles (available online via free trial subscription) cover tankless vs. tank water heaters, solar water heaters, combining solar hot water with radiant floor heating and a tankless water heater, hot water recirculation, and installing a tank-style water heater so it lasts three times as long. A search of the site also turns up several shorter Q&A articles about water heaters. There's also a good descriptive article here for the Marathon plastic tank heaters.
by Editors of J.D. Power and Associates
This study surveyed almost 900 contractors and subcontractors about their satisfaction levels with water heater and boiler manufacturers. Seven factors were measured: warranty and repair service, ordering… process, credit/billing, delivery, price, sales and marketing support, and product, based on a 1,000-point scale. It's especially interesting that warranty service and repairs are more than twice as important to professional subcontractor as the product itself, which matches pretty well the owner-written reviews we find from homeowners at Sears.com. The actual product accounts for only 10 percent of the total satisfaction rating. Two water heater manufacturers are considered above average: Bradford White, followed by Rheem/Ruud. Contractors rate A.O. Smith below average; this company makes water heaters sold under various brands, including Kenmore, Maytag, State, Reliance and Penfield.
by James Dulley
Jim Dulley is a mechanical engineer and home-improvement specialist who writes a nationally syndicated column about energy use. If you need any convincing, check this link to his monthly utility bills for… the last five years (for a 3,000-square-foot home). All of his water heater bulletins are detailed and informative, and the three bulletins on tankless, electric and gas water heaters do recommend specific brands. He also has four-page bulletins on solar water heater kits (with specifications for 10), building your own batch solar water heater, heat pump water heaters, and systems for rapid hot water.
by Contributors to Sears.com
Sears sell water heaters under its own Kenmore brand, manufactured by A.O. Smith. Not all the water heaters sold here have accumulated owner-written reviews and ratings, but several have been reviewed by… owners after several years of use. It's important to study the review dates in addition to the ratings, since many owners are very satisfied early on, while others report problems months or years later. Given the generally low number of owner ratings, we were unable to identify any standout Kenmore storage water heaters.
by Contributors to HomeDepot.com
by Contributors to Lowes.com
Lowe's invites visitors to rate products. But unlike other sites, owners may only contribute ratings -- no comments can be added. That makes these ratings less valuable than others. Lowe's carries about a… dozen tankless water heaters, but only one has been rated by owners. Owners give it an above average score. The Whirlpool water heaters (made by A.O. Smith, (which also makes water heaters sold under the Kenmore brand), get especially low ratings for quality. This is true even for the top-rated model of the three.
by U.S. Department of Energy Editors
This online interactive tool calculates the lifetime energy savings for specific water heaters, once you enter the information on your utility rate, amount of hot water you use daily, and the water heater's… Energy Factor rating. You can print the calculated results for each water heater you're considering. (It doesn't take into account the longer average lifetimes of tankless and solar water heaters, nor their additions to a home's value.) The DOE site also has detailed, well written buyers' guides on specific types of water heaters, plus a recommendation for an affordable solar water system.
by Contributors to Amazon.com
This retail site publishes owner-written water heater reviews and ratings of the models sold here. The site makes it very convenient to browse through the list of water heaters since you can sort the list… by average rating, by best sellers, or search for a specific brand. Most tankless water heaters have accumulated too few reviews here for the average ratings to mean much -- except that most come in for quite a bit of criticism. There are more reviews for some small point-of-use tankless water heaters, which make hot water instantly available at a sink.
by Editors of CompareTheBrands.com
by Editors of PMEngineer.com
This review reports the results of objective tests of water heaters run by Bradford White, to compare the cost-effectiveness of two energy-efficient gas storage-tank water heaters with that of two tankless… gas water heaters -- one using a pilot light, one without. Calculations are based on the 748-gallon average weekly hot water usage of a four-person family with two bathrooms, taking peak loads into account. Cost estimates cover both new installations and water heater replacements, based on a survey of contractors. Test results show that soft water is an important factor in the energy effectiveness of tankless water heaters, since hard water rapidly deposits lime scale on the heat exchangers. Though the review fails to take into account the longer life-expectancy of most tankless water heaters, it does document that they have a very long payback period.
by Editors of Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute
The federal income tax credit for energy-efficient water heaters has been extended to cover purchases made throughout 2008 for new home construction, making this list of eligible models particularly useful.… Since the relevant specifications are included, it's also useful for selecting the most energy-efficient models from the list. Only one electric water heater is listed -- a heat pump add-on for regular tank water heaters -- but quite a few high-efficiency gas tankless water heaters make the list.
by Staff of U.S. Energy Administration
Your local utility companies provide the most accurate information on fuel rates in your area, but it may be useful to see the Energy Administration's price projections for electricity, natural gas, LP gas… and fuel oil between now and 2030. The site also publishes a state-by-state record of average prices for these fuels -- useful for understanding why the best water heater in one part of the United States is not the best choice in another.
by Contributors to ConsumerAffairs.com
by Editors of Nexus Market Research
by Contributors to TerryLove.com
by Contributors to GreenerBuilding.org
GreenerBuilding.org publishes owner-written reviews and ratings of tankless water heaters as well as a few other types (such as heat pump/water heater combos). The ratings of specific brands get distorted… by repeat posts and even off-topic comments, but there are some useful reviews here. Reviews of tankless water heaters highlight some of the reasons why some owners are very satisfied, others just the opposite.
by Contributors to Berkeley Parents Network
by John Platt
by Daniel DiClerico
This brief article covers the A.O Smith Vertex 100, an energy-efficient gas water heater for which the manufacturer claims a 95 percent operating efficiency. Consumer Reports doesn't test the water heater,… but the article describes the design feature that makes it so efficient. Another article in this blog covers a recall of several gas tankless water heaters made by Rheem/Ruud, with a great many comments from readers about their own experiences with various tankless water heater brands. Also, a January 2009 article discusses the new GE hybrid water heater.
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Rheem MSR50245 Marathon Electric Water Heater 50 Gal.
 from Amazon.com New: $1074.60 In Stock.
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Bosch GL4 Ariston 4-Gallon Point-of-Use Indoor Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater
from Amazon.com New: $169.00 In Stock.
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