Q: What type of water heater should I get to have the best money savings?- A: The right type of water heater.
We know that answer sounds like we’re being flippant, but it is the correct answer. There is no single type of water heater that is a guaranteed money-saver for a house because every household is different. A tankless water heater with a high efficiency rating may sound like a sure thing for cutting down on energy bills, but it might end up doing a bad job at actually delivering the hot water the household needs end have to be replaced early. That’s hardly saving money!
- Q: So how do I find the right type of water heater?
- A: Work with a professional plumber.
Thankfully, the answer to this question is straightforward. A new water heater installation must be handled by a plumbing professional, so you might as well involve the professionals from the start to select the ideal new water heater for your needs. A water heater must first be able to handle the hot water demands of your household, or else it’s not much good. Professionals can size the system (determining volume of hot water, flow rate, etc.) so your household will rarely run out of hot water or experience a drop in efficiency because of hot water demand. The pro plumbers then look for models that will cut down on your heating costs, but also make sure the model won’t be prohibitively expensive.
When people ask our experts this question—and it’s a question we hear often—what they usually want to know is if they should have their current aging 
When the fall starts, HVAC companies remind their customers that it’s time to have maintenance done for their heating equipment. Even Southern California can get the winter blues! But plumbers also ask their customers to arrange for maintenance as well, and it’s for a heating system that Californians need every day, no matter the weather: the water heater.
We’re big proponents of 
As professional plumbers who work on everything from small leaks in homes to large scale commercial plumbing installations, we’re used to encountering one of the biggest enemies of all plumbing systems: corrosion. Corrosion is a chemical reaction between water and metal in the presence of oxygen, resulting in a weakening of the metal. There are different types of corrosion, but rust is the most familiar. No matter the type, corrosion is straight up bad news for metal because it eats into it and eventually causes it to flake away. (In fact, the word corrosion comes from the Latin word meaning “to gnaw.” Corrosion gnaws away at metal.)
The standard water heater that most people think of is a tank water heater, also known as a storage water heater, which keeps a supply of water in a large tank. The water is maintained at a high temperature so that it’s ready for use when a tap turns on somewhere in the building. There are other models of water heater available, such as the tankless water heater, which has become popular in the U.S. over the last decade. A tankless water heater heats up water as it is needed rather than storing it.
