Electric Water Heaters vs Conventional Water Heaters

Unlike heating, hot water is required 365 days a year. For this reason, ensuring you install the most efficient type of electric water heating is vital.

There are plenty of options on the market, which can make it difficult to choose the right option for your home. Gas boilers, hot water cylinders, under sink water heaters – the list goes on. But which one is the right one for your home?

In this blog, we compare conventional water heating systems with more modern alternatives to help you make an informed decision.

Efficiency

All electric water heaters are 100% efficient, in that they convert 100% of the energy they use in to heat. However, for gas combi boiler users, your water is heated using gas as the fuel source. Gas boilers are not 100% efficient, and usually sit in the high 90%’s. Older gas boilers can even be as little as 60% efficient.

By running your heating and hot water on one system, you are stuck with a less efficient water heating system. If you opt to separate your heating and hot water and install an electric water heating system alongside your boiler, your efficiency is instantly improved. But efficiency is all about wastage.

Many homeowners find that their hot water cylinders keep their airing cupboard warm. This is something that some people like, but it’s actually a sign that your electric water heater is not very efficient. By keeping your airing cupboard warm, your water heater is losing heat; heat that you have paid for.

Our Aquafficient loses a lot less heat than conventional water cylinders, to the point where the unit itself will feel lukewarm to the touch, despite still providing hot water to your home at 55 degrees.

Control

Going back to hot water cylinders, the level of control is limited. Many people have to switch their cylinder on for a couple of hours before they want to have a nice warm bath, or even before they do the washing up. This kind of manual control is a pain, and leaves room for error.

There’s nothing worse than forgetting to heat the water, going to run a bath and being left with nothing but cold water.

As our Aquafficient does such a good job at retaining heat, you can simply heat the unit overnight and rely on it to heat your water all day from a single charge.

Much like the film, some like it hot. However, some of us don’t. We install a thermostatic mixing valve with every Aquafficient, allowing you to set the water temperature. We will also install a timer, allowing you to dictate when your Aquafficient will take its charge for complete control.

Physical Size

Conventional water systems, such as cylinders, are usually large and bulky. A hot water cylinder can often be in excess of six feet tall, taking up all of your airing cupboard. They also require extra valves and fixings, along with a relatively large expansion vessel.

As modern homes get smaller and smaller, reclaiming that extra space can be vital.

Our Aquafficient is half the height of the equivalent cylinder on average, allowing you to use the space in your home for more exciting things.

Removing your existing water system can be costly; however, we handle all of that for you. Our qualified electricians and plumbers will remove your cylinder, dispose of it and install your brand new Aquafficient all in one day.

Lifespan

If you are currently using a gas boiler to heat your water, you will be aware that gas boilers have a life span of around 10-15 years, providing they are regularly serviced and maintained. If you decide to keep your gas boiler for longer than this period, the efficiency may drop significantly.

Our Aquafficient has a life span of around 40,000 heating cycles, equivalent to 50 years of usage. It also requires zero servicing or maintenance, making it completely fit and forget.

You don’t even need to alter the controls on the unit once they are set to your preference!

Heat Storage

Hot water cylinders store water, and this water is then heated. Our Aquafficient uses a patented phase change material to store heat. The phase change material is a natural, salt based substance and can be recycled at the end of its life.

The phase change material is then surrounded by vacuum insulation panels, which is the main reason for the superior levels of heat loss from the Aquafficient.