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Using an Electric Water Heater for hot water
Heating the water in your home with an electric hot water system is very common in Auckland. With the popularity of gas hot water systems increasing. However, we often get asked whether it’s still worth using electricity to heat water. At Cylinder Direct, we install both electric and gas hot water heating systems.
Let’s take a look here at some pros and cons of electric water heaters.
The pros of using an electric water heater
- Cheaper to install
There are relatively low upfront costs with electric water heaters. If you’re buying an existing home (that is, you’re not building new). That house will most likely already have a hot water heating system in it. And more often than not, an older home will already have an electric hot water cylinder in it. Hence, if you’re buying a relatively new home or are building a house yourself. Electric hot water heating is one of the cheaper systems to install. An electric water heater’s upfront costs are lower than the installation costs of a gas continuous flow system.
- Easier to install
Electric water heaters don’t require additional piping or set-up for gas installation. This is because you’ve got electricity already hooked up in your home. Installing an electric hot water cylinder does not require any more complicated gas installation. Therefore, you don’t need the services of a qualified gas fitter. (You don’t need to worry about this with the team from Cylinder Direct, though. We are plumbers and gas fitters. So we can do all of this work for you, regardless of which type of hot water heating you prefer.)
- You don’t need gas
You don’t need to have refillable gas bottles, and you don’t need to worry about any issues with mains gas if you’re using electricity to heat your water.
- Keeping clothes dry
Having a hot water cylinder in a cylinder cupboard or linen closet has a great added benefit. Additionally, it’s a great place to dry clothes or linen. And it’s a great place to store and keep towels dry.
The cons of using an electric water heater
- Possibly higher operating costs
Running costs or operating costs may be higher for your household with an electric hot water system. While the initial set-up costs will probably be lower with an electric hot water system. It may be more costly for your household to use an electric hot water cylinder over time as you use it. However, this really does depend on the number of people in your house and the number of showers you take. When you use a hot water cylinder, you have a full cylinder of water that is kept hot. (Rather than heating what you use as you use it). So, if you are in a household where you or your family members take only one or two showers per day or every second day, then you may be paying to keep water hot that you’re not using.
- Running out of water; waiting time for reheating
You may run out of hot water if you use an electric water heater. This also depends on the number of people in your house and the number of showers you take. With an electric hot water heater, you don’t have instant hot water. You have access to the hot water stored in your hot water cylinder. If several people take showers and all of the hot water in the cylinder gets used, you need to wait for more water to heat up.
- Repair costs of an older cylinder
The other thing to consider is the age of your hot water cylinder. For instance, if you’re using an electric hot water cylinder that is more than 15 years old. You may find that it has parts that are starting to need repairs or replacement. If this starts to happen too often, the costs will add up, and it may be time to consider replacing your hot water system.
- Risks of power outages
If you live in an area where you experience frequent power outages or electricity blackouts, your water heating will be affected. The water in your hot water cylinder will be hot and available to use for a short time. But you won’t be able to heat any more once that has run out.
Get in touch with Cylinder Direct
Get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Cylinder Direct for a no-obligation initial chat. And we’ll help you determine what’s best for your home and your budget. Have a look at our Hot Water Cylinders page – then give us a call.
