Wayne Whitney wrote:
On 2006-02-07, wrote:

None of the above:

http://www.askthebuilder.com/451_Tan...ng_Facts.shtml

That article is bogus. In doing the cost comparison, the author
assumes that the tankless gas water heater always uses gas at its peak
rate, which is false. A tankless gas water heater has a modulating
gas valve, and it will only use enough gas to provide the required
temperature rise. It is incontrovertible that all other things being
the same, a tankless heater without any standby losses will use less
energy than a tank heater with standby losses.

The author also complains that tankless water heaters provide a
constant temperature rise, so that the hot water is hotter in the
summer when the incoming cold water is hotter. While I believe some
older models do this, most current models will modulate the gas usage
to provide a constant output temperature as the input temperature
changes.

In other words, the article's two chief complaints are invalid.

Cheers, Wayne

The article does note that tankless water heaters don't run full blast
whenever they're used. I guess you missed that part.

The author does his calculations based on peak use, which is valid as
long as he compares the cost of the conventional water heater on the
same basis.