Heating, Cooling & Comfort - Choose a Products

Buying A Water Heater

Many new water heaters are relatively inexpensive to purchase and install, but what about the ongoing operating costs? After all, you use hot water in the home every day - often lots of it! In fact, it can cost you seven times as much money to operate a water heater for 10 years as it did to purchase the system.

So it pays to be an informed consumer. Don't automatically accept the model proposed by your plumber or heating contractor - ask questions. Keep in mind that the unit that is cheapest to buy could end up costing you money in unnecessarily high energy costs for years to come. On the other hand, a high purchase price on its own doesn't guarantee long-term energy savings. It is the technology that is important.

The same advice applies if you are renting or leasing a water heater, which is a popular option in many parts of Canada. If a rented or leased machine wears out, ask your utility or energy supplier to replace it with an energy-efficient model.

Selecting an energy-efficient model that can reliably meet your needs will not only save you money, it will help the environment, because the less energy Canadians use, the fewer greenhouse gas emissions we produce. In making a decision, it's important to know that:

• there are several different types of water heaters
• for each fuel option, there are a number of different product types and models to choose from.
• size matters
• installation options can affect your choice
• a water heater's energy efficiency will have a big impact on its operating costs