If you need a new gas storage water heater, ask for one that’s earned the ENERGY STAR and start enjoying many benefits.
Big savings. Choose an ENERGY STAR certified gas storage water heater instead of a standard model and save about $40 a year. Over the 13-year lifetime of the water heater that’s about $520.1 Larger families can save even more money. These gas storage water heaters can cut your water heater energy costs!
A purchase that protects the environment. If everyone in the U.S. purchasing a standard gas water heater this year chose a certified gas storage model instead, we would prevent one billion pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of creating 132,000 acres of forest.
High-efficiency gas storage water heaters employ the same technology as standard gas storage water heaters: a glass-lined steel tank is heated by a burner located at the bottom of the tank. But a few basic changes make them operate more efficiently.
A standard gas storage water heater is like a water tank sitting atop of a gas fireplace with the chimney running straight up through the middle, exiting at the top. A gas condensing water heater has its “chimney” or flue designed with greater surface area. The heat and combustion gases have much farther to travel before they exit the water tank, so more heat is transferred to the water in the tank.
High efficiency models simply have better insulation, heat traps, and more efficient burners, improvements that have a modest impact on price but increase efficiency by about 7.5%. To increase efficiency further, manufacturers may add a power vent to accelerate the venting of combustion gases. This may increase the installed cost, but savings are also greater.
