There’s nothing worse than waking up for work on a cold Washington morning, and jumping into a freezing shower. You double check the faucets just in case you twisted the wrong one in your sleepy morning haze, but no, they’re fine. It’s your ancient water heater that’s finally gone on the fritz. It’s pretty hard to continue on with your life without access to hot running water, so you’ll have to make a decision about which water heater you’re going to buy fairly quickly. The good news is, the expert residential plumbers at Action Jackson Plumbing are ready to help. We offer 24/7 emergency plumbing services so that you don’t have to spend one unnecessary minute without hot water. We’ve also rounded up all of the most common types of water heaters and ranked them from most efficient to least efficient to help make your decision easier.

Solar Water Heaters

Ranking number one on our list of energy efficient water heaters is the solar water heater. There are various different types of solar-powered water heaters that work in slightly different ways, but for the most part this definition from the U.S. Department of Energy explains their basic function: “The sun’s thermal energy heats the fluid in the solar collectors. Then, this fluid passes through a heat exchanger in the storage tank, transferring the heat to the water. The non-freezing fluid then cycles back to the collectors.” Solar water heaters can be installed by residential plumbers, but they definitely carry with them a hefty price tag. However, when it comes to efficiency and long-term return on investment, they’re hard to beat.

Tankless Or Demand-Type Water Heaters

Rather than constantly keeping a giant tank full of water hot all day long through the use of fossil fuels, tankless water heaters only heat the water that you actually need at any given time. Pretty brilliant, right? Here’s how Family Handy Man explains their function: “A flow sensor detects when you open the faucet. Then the gas valve opens and the burners fire up. The heater measures the incoming water temperature and calculates how quickly the water should flow past the burners. So, if the incoming water is 65 degrees F (typical summer temperature), the heater will provide its maximum flow rate. But if the water is only 35 degrees, the heater will throttle back the flow rate by almost 50 percent.” Although they do have some drawbacks, especially for families that need to wash clothes, run the dishwasher, and have three kids brushing their teeth all at the same time, there’s no denying that tankless water heaters can save you big on utility costs.

Tankless Coil And Indirect Water Heaters

A twist on the traditional tankless water heater is the tankless coil and/or indirect water heater. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “Tankless coil and indirect water heaters use a home’s space heating system to heat water. They’re part of what’s called integrated or combination water and space heating systems.” Because they operate on an on-demand basis, they can save you some money, however, indirect water heaters still involve a tank system that sacrifices a little bit of efficiency.

Conventional Storage Water Heaters

As you might have guess by now, conventional storage water heaters are the least efficient way to supply your home with hot water. Unfortunately, they’re the cheapest water heating technology to install, so most homes have one. These systems use fossil fuels to keep a giant tank of water hot at all times, just in case you need it. It keeps switching on and off the burner constantly throughout the day, to keep the water at temperature, which wastes a crazy amount of energy.

Now that you’ve got a better idea of the different water heaters on the market, be sure to call the residential plumbers at Action Jackson Plumbing so we can get one installed for you ASAP!