There are many advantages of a propane water heater. There is much debate over whether an electric one is better, and it really depends on where you live and what your costs are. If you are one of those people who are living completely off the grid on your own electrical power, then of course an electric model is better for your home. But what about the rest of the people who are still relying on electrical services? If you have the availability of propane, it may be a good time to switch over to propane instead.

One of the advantages is that propane is more fuel efficient in the long run. With an electrical heating element, it takes longer to heat the water, which can be a real disadvantage when using an instant water heater, because you won’t have as much hot water, than a propane one. The heat exchanger for propane is direct heat, meaning that you will have water that is hotter, stays that way for your entire application and burns more efficiently.

Using propane will save half the energy that electricity produces, especially if that electricity is produced from a coal burning plant. Propane is portable, so you can buy a smaller unit, or even one that is completely for on the go, like when you are camping. Who out there is so tired of heating water on the fire, or their charcoal grill? With heating on the fire, you can often burn yourself removing the pot, or even run the risk of spilling the water and putting out your fire. If you are using a small portable propane heater, you have hot water on demand, for whatever you need it for, cups of hot chocolate, washing dishes, and even taking a nice hot shower.

If you still can’t get away from a tank water heater, the Rheem 40 Gallon FVR Propane Water Heater, 6YR 22V40F1P is the heater for you. It has a one of a kind shut off device that gives you double the safety protection. It is maintenance free, meaning you won’t have to worry about cleaning a filter. Uses standard replacement parts, and even has an EverKleen in tank cleaning system that reduces sediment build up. It comes with a limited 6 year warranty on the tank and parts, and sells for under $500.

If you are more interested in an instant, on demand hot water heater, then the Bosch Aquastar 1600H Propane Tankless Water Heater is the one you need. It features up to 117,000Btu input, has a natural draft and hydro generated ignition. It can replace a 40 gallon water tank heater, and can provide endless hot water, one application at a time. It has a 90-180 degree temperature range, depending on the Gallon per minute flow range, and can be adjusted from .6gpm-4.3gpm. This model actually has a 12 year warranty on the heat exchanger, and 2 years on parts, and costs only $698.95 retail, but can be found even less at some outlets.

Should you get a water heater with or without a tank? Before you decide, find out more about tankless water heaters.

It is a fact well-proven that water heaters are one of the best users of energy in a household. Whether you are out looking for a water heater, or are looking for a new one to replace your old unit, make sure you consider the energy consumption of water heaters and how this affects your bills. Aside from choosing a water heater that does not consume too much energy, you can also save energy once you install any kind you chose.

First of all, if your water heater is old enough, you should start thinking about replacing it. Don’t wait until it breaks down. This will put you in a rushed and pressured situation where you have to choose a water heater in such a short time. This is not good, since choosing one should take time. Also, in case you have some problems with your old water heater, you can take that into consideration when you choose a replacement. Then, when you’re out shopping for a water heater, don’t go right ahead and buy the cheapest one you can find. The initial price you pay is not what matters. The operating costs are more important. Think long-term, not short-term.

Also, once you bring home that water heater, don’t go and install it just like that. There are still plenty you can do to save energy, such as placing insulating jackets around the tank and the pipes. This will help save energy and costs by reducing the amount of heat that gets lost through the walls of the tank and the pipes as the water is stored there. Insulating jackets are way cheaper, considering that using them can reduce your energy consumption by up to 40%.

Here’s another tip, and one that you won’t instantly think about when your attention is all on your water heater. Well, you must be forgetting that your water heater works directly with your shower equipment. The amount of water that comes out of your shower heads affect your water heater’s energy consumption. Aside from insulating, you also have to make some revisions with your shower equipment. Consider installing shower restrictors that can limit the amount of water that gets through your shower head. The less water you consume, the less heating the water heater needs to do. And this equates, of course, to lower energy consumption and, yes, less expenses that you need to pay.

Now you’re ready to go on and install your water heater. Once it’s up and running, however, you should still exert some effort to save energy. There are two surefire ways to do so. First, lower the temperature while you’re using one. This can help save some energy. However, the best thing you can do is still to conserve water as much as you can. When you conserve water, you can never go wrong.

Of course, there are a lot more you can do. However, the tips enumerated above are the easiest and cheapest ways to save energy when you’re using water heaters. After all, in the effort to save on energy consumption of your water heater, you should not waste your own energy on difficult methods and techniques when you can save a lot of energy using the hassle-free tips above.

James Brain is the marketing associate for Fast Water Heater A repair and installation service company specializing in traditional and tankless water heaters.

A tankless hot water heater is an efficient way to heat water, they are fitted with an electric, gas, or propane-heating device. These heaters are compact in size and virtually eliminates costly standby losses, they can provide warm water at remote points of use and less water is wasted while waiting for warm water to reach a remote faucet. Tankless heaters are compact in size and virtually eliminate the wasted energy of heating a large volume of water.

The tankless hot water heater is available at the homeowner’s request, in other words, the heated water is available on call with no limitations as to the quantity you can use. For the environmentally conscious, they use far less energy and natural gas then traditional hot water heaters. Home owners can see a typical savings of up to 50 – 60 percent on their gas bill after a tankless water heater is installed. A tankless water heater is more affordable than before ($500) and significantly reduces your water heating bill.

The tankless hot water heater is gaining in popularity as more people realize that they can save them money over the long run. Unlike a typical storage tank type hot water heater, tankless water heaters do not work by maintaining a tank of water at a consistent, high temperature. They are more efficient than traditional gas or electric heaters, and can cut your related energy costs by up to 50%. And this applies to Gas Tank style hot water heaters as well.

Demand water heaters are available in propane, natural gas, or electric models. They come in a variety of sizes for different applications, such as a whole-house water heater, a hot water source for a remote bathroom or hot tub, or as a boiler to provide hot water for a home heating system. Demand water heaters do cost more than conventional storage tank-type units. The appeal of demand water heaters is not only the elimination of the tank standby losses and the resulting lower operating costs, but also the fact that the heater delivers hot water continuously.

Storage tank heaters last 10 to 15 years but most tankless models have easily replaceable parts that can extend their life by many years more. Storage-type hot water heaters lose heat all day long consuming more energy than any other job in the home except space heating.

Tankless hot water heater systems only use energy to heat water when there is a demand for it, providing instantaneous hot water whereas conventional tank systems use energy to keep the water in the storage tank hot so that it is available when needed. These hot water heaters (also called “demand” or “instantaneous”) are far more energy efficient because they heat water only when you need it.