Berkeys Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning says a clear trend is developing, as North Texas homeowners turn increasingly to tankless water heaters to save on utility bills and comply with tougher local energy standards.
Southlake, TX – May 21, 2008 – North Texas homeowners are installing tankless water heaters at a much faster pace than ever this year, says master plumber Jamie Wooldridge. Saving on energy bills is a factor, aided by more stringent energy standards being developed by municipal governments.
Wooldridge, president of Berkeys Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, a leading Dallas area service company, says Dallas’ neighboring city Richardson has adopted tougher energy standards, prompting consumer interest in compliance measures.
Richardson tops the list for cities where people originate Google searches for tankless water heaters.
Wooldridge says tankless water heaters have become a top seller at his company, and will surpass sales of conventional tank-type water heaters for the first time this year. “We expect this trend to accelerate as more municipalities evolve their energy policies,” Wooldridge said.
Top 10 results for the term “tankless” include:
- Richardson, Tex.
- Dallas, Tex.
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Austin, Tex.
- Tampa, Fla.
- Miami, Fla.
- San Diego, Calif.
- Seattle, Wash.
- Pleasanton, Calif.
- Los Angeles, Calif.
Eight of the top 10 are southern cities, and the remaining two, Seattle, Wash., and Pleasanton, Calif., are in temperate coastal regions. Northern homes that use baseboard radiant heat typically don’t have separate water heaters, but draw hot water from the central boiler system.
Also, colder average incoming water temperatures in northern locations may account for fewer searches coming from northern cities, although tankless heater manufacturers say their products work fine in those areas, too.
“As gas and electric prices keep going up people are looking for smart alternatives to help hold utility costs in line,” Wooldridge said. “The logic is obvious: you heat water only when you need it, instead of storing it in a big tank and paying to heat it over and over again.”
Tank-type heaters cycle several times each night as water in the tanks cools, thus running up utility bills. Wooldridge thinks this is illogical: “You wouldn’t leave your car running all night simply because you need to drive to work the next day, so why keep heating water again and again all night so you can shower in the morning?”
Wooldridge says heating water with conventional tank-type heaters accounts for 20 – 30 percent of the total utility costs in the average American home. Tankless water heaters can chop that by up to 50 percent, which means a homeowner could trim 10-to-15 percent off total home energy costs.
he importance of energy conservation becomes more apparent when looking at aggregate numbers. One tankless water heater manufacturer features a calculator on its Website that shows in real time the amount Americans are over-paying by using tank-type water heaters instead of tankless.
As of the third week of May 2008, the total added consumption for Texas alone was a whopping $798 million for the period that began July 1, 2006 – less than two years. The national total for the same period stood at $8.01 billion.
About Berkeys
Berkeys Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning has specialized in the needs of homeowners in Southlake, Grapevine, Colleyville and Flower Mound for more than 32 years. Berkeys reputation for prompt, honest service from licensed and factory trained technicians assures customers the best in professional service and equipment. To learn more, call Berkeys at 1-877-BERKEYS, or visit our Website at https://www.berkeys.com.