If you’ve been experiencing decreasing performance from your water heater, or even worse – if you’ve had some kind of breakdown – it may be time to concede to the inevitable and purchase that new water heater. To help sort out your purchase options, here are some guidelines to make sense of it all.

Types of Water Heaters

  • Conventional water heaters maintain a storage tank of ready for use hot water.
  • Tankless-direct water heaters lack the storage tank, and heat water directly on demand.
  • Tankless-indirect heaters heat water by using a home’s space heating system.
  • Solar water heaters use sunlight to heat water.
  • Heat pump water heaters do not directly heat water, but move heat between places

Fuel Sources

  • Solar energy heaters are most popular in the American Southwest, but are available in all parts of the country.
  • Electric-powered heaters are widely available, and can power most types of heaters.
  • Geothermal heaters are most often used in homes that already have heat pump systems for their heating and cooling.
  • Natural gas heaters are also widely available and can power several different types of heaters.
  • Propane and fuel oil are both used as a fuel source in limited areas of the U.S.

How to Choose

  • Size is one of the most important criteria for selection. Your new heater should be big enough to provide sufficient water for the family, while not heating excessive amounts.
  • To minimize costs, check the energy efficiency rating of new water heaters.
  • Estimate annual costs for the new water heater you have in mind.
  • Make sure the fuel type you’ll need is readily available in your area.

Contact Us

Although Comfort Systems did not acquire its present business name until 1996, the combined experience it has in the home comfort business began way back in the 1950’s. In all, nine different companies in the home comfort industry have been assimilated into Comfort Systems so as to best serve our customers. If you have any home comfort problems at all, please contact us through our website, or when in Wichita, stop in and discuss your issues with us.

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

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