One luxury I enjoy is long hot showers, and with a dedication to being green, this can be a mental struggle.  Resolute to having it all, you can pamper yourself and be green at the same time, if you just do the research.  Go ahead, bathe yourself in luxury, green luxury with a tankless or on demand water heating system. These can operate on multiple fuel sources, but, preferably we would hook it up to an alternative fuel source. They can even feed radiant floor and other hydraulic heating systems

With an on demand water heater or tankless hot water, you never run out of hot water and you only heat what you need, when you need it.  It saves on energy many ways; no storage tank where the water sucks energy, standing by for the time when you actually need the hot water, they are so small and compact you can place one under a sink and you are not losing valuable heat as it travels to its destination, these components are relatively the same cost, before adding bells and whistles, as a conventional system, last two to three times as long, most last for up to 20 plus years and are cleaner and therefore keeping your family healthier. There are additional savings by not having a pilot.  You can easily save half the cost of your current water expenditures and the efficiency goes from 60% efficiency to an eye opening 83%-94% energy-efficiency level making the tankless water heaters are much more eco-friendly and they can be retrofitted into pretty much any system, and a $300.00 Federal tax credit could be yours.

Be healthier with a tankless, where water is heated as it passes through pulling a fresh supply of water all the time.  As the years pass by, traditional tank water heaters rust and build-up scale inside the storage tank.  Cleaning the tank is really not achievable even if you are handy and have the time. You can flush the tank, but, the drain spout is usually inches above the bottom of the tank and still end up with debris that can only be removed with elbow grease which can not be done unless you open the tank, breaking its seal and making it a retired appliance.

Europeans have been using these for decades and the original high efficiency appliance.

So where is the pamper part?, well there are so many advantages;  I really like having a cup of tea instantly out of my kitchen sink, or, not worrying about if I have enough hot water to do a wash, put on the dishwasher, or, if more than one of us wants to take a shower at the same time if I will need to rinse the shampoo out of my hair with cold water!.  And quite frankly, I do not want to heat and maintain hundreds of gallons of water at 170 degrees all the time, just to utilize this type scenario a few times a year!

Give yourself more time to do what you want to do with a on demand system. Save on maintenance time, replacement costs and shopping for a replacement too. Conventional tanks are touted to last 2-15 years, but, my life experience has taught me differently.  Having been a landlord and home owner, it’s apparent that life expectancy for conventional tanks is just not possible, especially if you have hard water. I lived for 15 years in my last residence and I needed to replace the water heater every 5 years, the first of which made itself known by leaking all over my finished family room ruining rugs, floors, wood paneling and furniture. Due to hard water, the choice was to invest in a treatment system was astronomically expensive or switch out every 5 years.

Photo: bottom of my 5year old tank inside! 

There are two basic types Point-of-Use or a Whole-house system. You will need to know how and where you use the water and consider the layout of the building.

No matter which way you go, the results are enormous and feel opulent.  So to sum it up, you gain everything and lose nothing:

Lower, less frequent maintenance
Double to triple the life expectancy
Filter cartridges are available and as easy to replace as your Brita Pitcher
Never run out of hot water
Reduce your hot water & electricity bills by 50%
Can be installed anywhere; under a sink, any small space
Remote control units available
Make hot drinks and other foods faster not needing to wait to heat the water on your stove
Utilize your space for other things as a fraction of the space needed
Can be used to heat radiant and/or hydraulic heat systems as well
Coleman even makes a mobile or camp version!
Can be mounted between studs in a way even -New construction or remodel
Healthier, cleaner fresh water supply
Reduced impact on the environment
Reduce waste
Cost runs around the same cost as a traditional system before adding remotes and such.

So I say go for it…