BrendanC
$100 site donor 2024
can you provide the formula’s you used? i’ve been trying to make some conversions but the formula’s i’ve found online lead to some crazy numbers.
Electric vs Propane Water Heater
- Thread starter Owen Lucas
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can you run a 240 line yourself? because going electric could also cost you to hire an electrician, if not stick with propane. I would go electric and with a Bradford White. How many in the household? just you and a spouse a 40 gallon is enough if more than 2 go with a 50.
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Are gas heaters really this efficient? I thought they were closer to 70%.
Second this, if your possibly stuck with electric water heat you need to consider if the extra complexity and potential breakdowns are worth the extreme savings in electric cost compared to the extremely long lived traditional electric water heaters.
Unless you use very little hot water a traditional electric heater gets very expensive very quickly, I know people who built a drain water to incoming water heat exchanger to reduce their electric bill.
If you live in an area that gets hot you get free ac as well with the expensive advanced water heater.
Now the real question is which ones are most reliable? I’ve seen reliability all over the map even same brand year to year so no idea how you would choose. (TCO might be mediocre if the expensive thing breaks as the upfront cost can take years to recover)
You can pay for any efficiency you want, (and get it up the arse potentially in reliability) my fathers down draft corn burning pellet furnace was described as 95-98% efficiency (fuel type & water content affect) back in 1994, had lots of features to get as much heat as possible extracted, even including variable fans.
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We put in a 80 gallon heat pump water heater to replace a smaller propane. Need to be able to fill Jacuzzi. There are energy tax credits (or there were).
Keep it on heat pump most of the year except the really cold part of winter and then we use it on hybrid.
It just works as it should.
Keep it on heat pump most of the year except the really cold part of winter and then we use it on hybrid.
It just works as it should.
Are you sure ? I pay $0.065 per KWH here. That's just for the electric, then we have a "delivery" charge and ridiculously, I pay more to get it to me than my usage ! My overall amount per KWH ends up being $0.14 so maybe that's how yours is calculated too.
Considering your water heater is just “slow” it’s possible there is more to it.
You may wish to have an on demand heater near the primary places you need instant hot water and let the propane unit live out the rest of its life.
Having had a recent water heater replacement that caused it to take far longer to get hot water with a new unit and no reasonable solution, you may wish to future proof with on demand.
Euro zone solutions even have in shower generated hot water we lack in the us.
You may wish to have an on demand heater near the primary places you need instant hot water and let the propane unit live out the rest of its life.
Having had a recent water heater replacement that caused it to take far longer to get hot water with a new unit and no reasonable solution, you may wish to future proof with on demand.
Euro zone solutions even have in shower generated hot water we lack in the us.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Yes, we used to be in that boat, but now the carbon tax is the largest line item on our bills, slated to go up yet again in April:
Some of us in the states have a bill that is mostly tax, it’s just not carbon related and the utilities pay it so it doesn’t show on the bill itemized out.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
It's wild isn't it? On a $249 bill, $107.19 of it is tax.
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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I'll call the utility and ask. I couldn't find the exact rate online so I extrapolated the numbers based on daily usage vs cost.
I suggest something different.
First of all we have a propane WH. Hardly uses much propane, it's quite efficient. We also have a HP/propane dual fuel heater. Our propane tank lasts just over a year (uses ~290 gallons year)
Depends on your rates indeed. My suggestion is get a propane WH again, when your heater goes kaput get a dual fuel and you will have AC as well.
First of all we have a propane WH. Hardly uses much propane, it's quite efficient. We also have a HP/propane dual fuel heater. Our propane tank lasts just over a year (uses ~290 gallons year)
Depends on your rates indeed. My suggestion is get a propane WH again, when your heater goes kaput get a dual fuel and you will have AC as well.
SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
WoW. A lot of extra charges we do not see where I am. How long have you folks had to pay all the extra fees in your gas bills?
Q: What is the most efficient propane water heater you can buy?
The most efficient is a condensing tankless water heater. But not the cheapest to own.
Not going to argue that - good stuff
For the OP @Owen Lucas. What available to you - tank water heater in LP, is most efficient?
EDIT: My initial idea I was trying to point out buying a super high efficiency propane water heater.
EDIT2: With gas - power goes out - generator or not, you will have hot water. A hot shower is pretty amazing when power has been out for days.
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In Ohio, our electric and gas utilities are partially deregulated and the utilities have to allow "alternate" suppliers that we are allowed to choose. We only choose the "supplier" and that's the $0.065/KWH rate I referred to. The utility itself still gets to charge a "delivery" fee which we have no control over (and it keeps going up, surprise, surprise).
Are you able to choose a different electric supplier where you are ? The normal utility still owns the power poles or power lines, still are the ones that maintain them, etc, etc.
Owen Lucas
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Financially LP is more cost effective, efficiency wise, I think electric is more efficient technically speaking because there is some heat loss with exhaust gasses.
According to the calculator on A.O. Smith's website, which allows you to plug in your LP / gallon cost and kWhr rates, LP is 50% cheaper. It would also be an easy install for me considering all of the plumbing is there and I won't need to hire an electrician for a 240 line. The HP hybrid units look interesting though!
Correct. Also see my edited post. Dog has me kinda dopey. Hahahaha
