Hello all,
I am searching for a replacement for our 40 gallon tank Natural Gas water heater. The current water heater was a cheap replacement ~12 years ago (~.50 energy factor) so almost anything will be an efficiency improvement. I've done some research [e.g.
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/...-water-heaters ] and given our particular constraints and requirements I've narrowed the choices down to two general categories:
A) Conventional Natural Gas Tank Water Heater
B) Solar Thermal Tank w/ backup heat source.
Here is my thinking, requirements, issues:
1. The water heater is located in a utility closet in the central hallway and the replacement needs to go in the same location. I'm not interested in re-plumbing the house to move the water heater, and there isn't room for a much larger water heater.
2. We are a family of three and don't use a lot of hot water (for 32 days in June/July we used 5.7 therms of nat. gas for cooking and hot water combined). So a tankless water heater doesn't make much sense for our use.
3. A heatpump water heater "creates cold" which could be useful in summer, but during the winter would create a cold spot in the center of the house.
4. A condensing gas water heater is relatively expensive (compared to a conventional gas burner) and would need a drain plumbed in.
5. We have cold winters where temperatures regularly go below freezing overnight. So, any solar option should be freeze-proof.
6. We live in a sunny locale but a backup heat source would provide peace of mind for us.
7. Any more expensive option should have a realistic payback period (i.e. within the warranty period).
So that leaves me with
A) an efficient, conventional nat. gas tank water heater for ~$580 plus installation:
- ex.
Rheem Performance Platinum Series: Powered Damper Series - Rheem model # XG40T12DM40UO
OR
B) Solar Thermal w/ nat. gas backup for ~$4500 plus installation:
- ex.
Rheem SolPak with Gas Assist Heat Exchange Tank Series - Rheem model# RSG75-48BP
I'm looking for suggestions, alternatives and any other info that I've missed. Are there less expensive, but reliable / warranteed solar thermal options that meet my requirements?
Thanks,
Tim