Types of Water Heaters

Lombardi Energy Services doesn’t want you to take your water heater for granted. Your water heater is an important part of your Northeastern Massachusetts or Southern New Hampshire home. It’s an easy thing to forget about when it’s working well, but take a moment to consider how important a role it plays in the comfort and function of your household. It generates all the hot water you and your family need to bathe, clean your clothes, wash your hands, clean your dishes, and more.

Consider this as well, up to 30% of the average household’s energy costs go towards heating water. So in addition to having the right water heater for your home, you also want to make sure it’s working as efficiently as possible.

You can depend on Lombardi Energy Services for all your oil-fired water heater needs. That includes water heater installation, maintenance, and repair.

Water Heater Types

If you’re in the market for a new water heater or simply want to better understand how the water heater you already have works, keep reading for a summary of the different types of water heaters.

Conventional or Storage Water Heaters have a tank that stores and keeps water hot until it’s used. They usually cost less to purchase and install than tankless water heaters, but they’re also less efficient than tankless water heaters. That’s because any hot water in the tank that isn’t used and cools below a certain temperature has to be heated again. Sometimes again and again and again.

Tankless Water Heaters heat water on demand to efficiently provide a virtually endless supply of hot water. With a tankless water heater, gone are the days of waiting to take a hot shower because all the hot water has been used up. And since a tankless water heater doesn’t have to expend energy reheating water that has cooled down in a tank, it could save you up to 40% on your water heating costs versus a conventional water heater. Tankless water heaters also take up less space (they’re about the size of a carry-on suitcase) and last twice as long as conventional water heaters. And since there’s no tank, there’s also no risk of tank corrosion or tank failure.

Indirect-Fired Water Heaters use your home’s boiler to heat your water. They’re very efficient, especially when your heating system is already running to warm your North Shore-area home. In fact, when your boiler is running to heat your home, it doesn’t cost you anything more to heat your home’s water with an indirect-fired water heater. However, because they must be integrated with your home’s heating system, installation is more expensive than with conventional or tankless water heaters.

Direct-Fired Water Heaters are a type of conventional water heater found in homes with furnaces. With a direct-fired water heater, heating oil gets burned in a combustion chamber under the tank. The heated flue gases then heat the water in the tank. The tank’s insulated walls help keep the water as warm as possible. The water heater turns on automatically whenever the water in the tank falls below a predetermined temperature.

Maintenance Matters

Since water heating accounts for so much of your home’s energy costs, you literally can’t afford to have an inefficient system. Regular maintenance keeps your water heater running at peak efficiency, and that saves you money all year long.

Lombardi Energy services offers a water heater service plan as an add-on to our other service plans. Our water heater service plan includes an annual tune-up and 15% off parts and labor costs (other than a system replacement).

Delivering Comfort

Lombardi Energy Services delivers comfort to our customers in Amesbury, Byfield, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, Seabrook, West Newbury, and surrounding areas in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Whether you need a new water heater or simply want the water heater you already have maintained or repaired, we’re here to help.

Contact Lombardi Energy Services today for reliable and friendly service. We’re here to help with all your heating needs.