Construction Project Management Services and Construction Books
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement

Home Hot Water Systems

28/4/2021

1 Comment

 
Picture

Heating the water in your home

Choosing the right hot water system for your new home is important. Not only are they expensive to install, but they can be costly to run. It’s also frustrating if you frequently can’t get hot water for your shower or bath, so the hot water system in your home must be efficient, effective and suitable for the number of occupants in the house.

Types of home hot water systems

​There are various types of home hot water systems which include:
  • Electric storage, which uses a heating element inside a tank to heat the water, similar to an electric kettle. These are the most expensive to operate since they keep the whole tank of water at constant temperature, even when hot water isn’t being used.
  • Heat pumps are efficient water heaters that extract heat from the air to heat water. They can use less than one third the electricity of electric storage water heaters. Heat pumps can operate effectively in temperatures as low as -10C (14F).
  • Continuous flow gas water heaters heat water only when it’s needed. Gas may be piped from an external utility supplier or from refillable bottles.
Picture
  • Gas storage unit heaters are similar to electric storage, but use gas.
  • Continuous flow electric heaters which heat water when it’s needed.
  • Solar. Depending on your climate, a substantial portion of your family’s hot water needs could be provided from the sun’s energy. To supplement the sun on cloudy days, or when household demand is high, solar heaters can have either electric or gas boosting. Solar systems have both the collectors and storage tank mounted on the roof, or they’re split, with the storage tank located at ground level. 
Picture

What to consider when selecting home hot water systems

When selecting your system some important factors to consider include:
  • Household size. Remember to consider your family’s size in the future – you don’t want to be installing a bigger system in 10 years’ time because there’re more people living in the house.
  • The cost. Consider not only the price of the system and installation, but also the operating costs over the life of the system, which will be far in excess of the original purchase price.
  • Planning or building controls that limit solar panels being placed on roofs.
  • Your local climate, or shading from neighbouring trees or buildings, may limit solar access to your roof.
  • The available energy sources. Natural gas may not be available in your area.
  • When tank storage systems are used, then note that they’re bulky. This impacts where they’re installed and when they’re installed in the building process. If large tanks are placed in the roof space they may need to be installed before the roof or ceiling are completed. Full tanks often weigh several hundred kilograms so the roof must be able to support the tanks.
  • Gas heaters should be installed outside, or they must have a flue to to vent excess gas
Picture
Image by Joe Garma from Pixabay

Selecting the right hot water system

It's important to select the right hot water system for your new home, or when renovating and remodelling your home. Systems which are too small for your household will be frustrating and inconvenient. Some systems may have cheaper installation costs, but there running costs may be higher which in the long run may make them more expensive.

There are many factors to consider, and what is the right solution for one family, one house, or in a different location, may not be the best choice for your circumstances now.
​
Always take into account future changes - future changes to your household, changes in technology, and of course changes in the type of available energy sources and the cost of energy in the future.
​
Consult experts and don't be swayed by salespersons to go for a system they are pushing.
Other useful articles
​Bathroom Design Essentials - What You Should Consider When Designing, Building and Renovating Your Ultimate Bathroom - Part 1
Choosing lights for your new home
How to make your home green and environmentally friendly and save money
Other Resources
​Build and Renovate your Home
Picture
​This is an extract from the author's book  'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses: Volume 2 - Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home' 
​© 2021 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

Want to learn more about designing, renovating and building houses?

Picture
​Paul Netscher has written 2 easy to read books 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volumes 1 and 2'. An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses Volume 1 deals with Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home.  and Designing your ideal home Volume 2 deals with Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home. 
​("Great for those that DIY. Very helpful in home renovations!" said a Reader on Amazon.com 5*****)
These books are available from Amazon and other online bookstores in paper and ebook.

1 Comment
hot water system replacement cost link
24/11/2021 09:12:28 pm

Gas hot water systems are considered to be the most cost-effective option, particularly in terms of how they are operated. They are divided into two categories: continuous flow and gas storage. A continuous flow water heater is also known as an instantaneous water heater. It does not require storage tanks because it heats water just when it is required, whereas gas storage systems require a permanently fixed tank.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I’m a construction professional, author of several successful construction management books, and a home owner. I’ve made mistakes in construction management, I’ve seen others make mistakes, but importantly I’ve had multiple successful construction projects and I’ve learned from the mistakes. I want to share these lessons and my knowledge with you.
    'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses - Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' are my latest books. packed with tips and information to ensure your home construction project is a success. Get your copy today from Amazon and other online stores.

    Picture
    Also available from:
    ​​Amazon Au, 
    Amazon DE, 
    Amazon ES, 
    Amazon CA,
    Amazon IT, 
    Amazon FR, 
    Amazon NL,
    ​Amazon India
    and 'An Introduction to Building Houses - Volume 2 Finding Your Ideal Property and Designing Your Dream Home' ​
    Picture

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    We welcome genuine comments, especially comments that add additional information to the subject matter in the article. We however reserve the right to remove inappropriate comments, which includes comments that have nothing to do with the subject, comments that include inappropriate language, and comments that are an advertisement for a product or company, or which include an advertising link. Comments must be in English. We will not enter into discussion on why a particular comment was removed.

Construction Books

Successful Construction Project management
Building a Successful Construction Company
Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors
Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
​
Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open
Book Reviews

Construction services

Construction Management Services
Paul Netscher
Construction Management Blog
​Home Improvement Blog

Contact
Developing Successful Construction Project Managers.

Building Successful Construction Companies.
30 years of construction project management experience
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement