Domestic Hot Water Storage
After the central space heating itself, water heating expenses come second in your home’s utility costs. As a homeowner or a business owner, you might employ an “out of sight, out of mind” perspective until the water in your kitchen taps, bathtubs, showers and washing machine goes from tepid to cold.
Bearing this in mind, you would want to take energy-saving measures into account so you can cut back on unnecessary water heating bills, and gas or electricity costs — depending on the fuel source of your water heater. At NY Engineers, taking matters into our own hands so you can have a better quality of life is our expertise. Through our years of experience, our invested plumbing engineers or licensed plumbers can guide you each step of the way in designing an efficient domestic hot water (DHW) system.
DHW system not only pertains to the distribution system and fuel source, but also more importantly, the domestic hot water storage itself. Critical elements needed to be factored in so we can successfully design a DHW system suited to your family’s needs. As such, we start by setting a stringent design criteria for the selection of your home’s domestic hot water storage.
Low-cost domestic hot water storage tanks might entice you initially with its cheaper upfront costs, but you are not guaranteed with the high-quality or value-engineered output over time. Aside from the equipment cost in itself, you need to calculate other parameters such as installation, maintenance and expected annual fuel costs. Take for example, electric tank types can garner you a low initial cost, but it can accrue you the highest lifetime costs in the long run. At NY Engineers, we carefully lay down all the advanced options in the table so you can make an informed choice for your domestic hot water storage.
Conversely, getting an oversized water storage tank for your home might cause you to think that you are getting the biggest bang for your buck, but in contrast, you will yield a minimum return of investment with its higher purchasing costs and escalating energy rates. On top of increased standby-losses, bulky domestic hot water storage do not exactly translate to quality efficiency especially when you only have a minimal headcount of end users in your home.
Whether it is of your own preference or the peak demand levels in your home was miscalculated, our competent licensed plumbers can ensure you from the get-go that the sizing of your DHW storage responds accurately to the baseline water demand of your home. At NY Engineers, we maintain better long-term relationships with our informed clients by involving them early on in the decision-making process. We share our expertise and experience with you, so you do not go down a trajectory incurring more costly mistakes.
Set Quality Benchmark in Your Domestic Hot Water Storage
Enter fuel availability as another factor to consider in the selection of your domestic hot water storage. Compare from the options of natural gas, electricity, oil and propane: how do they stack up against each other? As initially discussed, electric tank type has an inverse relationship with the low initial and higher maintenance costs, and is measured per kWh. However, natural gas weighs heavier on the initial costs than tank-type electric units because of the gas lines and venting.
Nonetheless, hybrid installations such as conversion of electricity to natural gas can amass you greater savings. Sealed combustion or power-vented gas-fired water storage heaters can decrease your backdrafting potential from $100 to $600. To eradicate safety hazards and improve resistance on backdraft — the spillover of pressure exhaust gases from the water heater to the interior living space — place the storage tank precisely in these spaces: interior spaces with adequate exterior ventilation like an indoor mechanical room , or outside the conditioned spaces such as garage.
With two more fuel sources left in store, propane tank type has the same installation issues as natural gas and is by far, the most expensive in annual costs at $1.00 per gallon. Electric heat pump has the highest initial cost, but turns out to be the most efficient with the energy factor (EF) ranging from 2.10 to 2.50.
Once costs and fuel availability are cross-referenced, our licensed plumbing engineers can now calculate for the first hour rating (FHR) to determine the system capacity of your DHW storage. FHR refers to the supply of hot water during the peak hour, and the correct sizing of your storage heater entirely depends on it. Also, we factor in tank insulation, safety, longevity or the expected equipment life, in the list of essentials needed.
At best, the specified domestic hot water storage in your home is the sum of all the critical water heating metrics. Choose from these types of water heater: storage-tank, demand or instantaneous, combination space and water heating systems, heat pump water heater or solar water heating. Tank or tankless, be aware that water heating itself accounts to over 15% of your home’s energy use, so better take proactive measures in scaling down your water and electricity bills by selecting the most ideal DHW storage.
Making the right choice can be cumbersome, but not if you are equipped with the right arsenal of our professional plumbers leading you through expertise and experience. At NY Engineers, we help you make the right choice. Learn how we can finetune your domestic hot water storage systems from faulty to energy-efficient by looking over in our list of completed projects.
