Author: Joe George, Director of Plumbing Operations
After years in your basements and utility rooms, we’ve noticed something: the old tank water heater spends most of its life keeping 40 or 50 gallons of water hot for no one. It runs all night while you sleep and all day while you’re at work. A tankless water heater only heats water when you turn on the tap. The Department of Energy puts that at about 24–34% more efficient for most homes, and you’ll see it on your monthly bill. Tankless units also tend to last 20 years or more, while a typical tank lasts 8 to 12. So when customers ask us whether tankless is worth it, we tell them the truth: over the life of the unit, most families come out ahead.The thing we hear about most after an install, though, isn’t the savings. It’s “we never run out of hot water anymore.” Nobody gets stuck with the cold shower, and you can run the dishwasher and the laundry at the same time. Even with a houseful at Thanksgiving, the hot water keeps coming. And because a tankless unit uses less energy, it’s a little easier on the power grid and a little better for the air we all breathe here in Northeast Ohio. When enough neighbors make the switch, it adds up for the whole community.
Â
We also want you to have the full picture before you decide. The federal tax credit for water heaters ended at the end of 2025, but there may still be local utility or manufacturer rebates out there, and we’re always happy to help you track them down. Stricter federal efficiency rules for new tank water heaters are also coming in 2029, which will likely make replacing a tank more expensive. Going tankless now gets you ahead of that. If you’d like to read up on it yourself, the EPA’s ENERGY STAR water heater page is a great place to start, and the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder shows what’s available in your area. We install Navien tankless systems because we trust them in our own customers’ homes, and that’s the only way we’d recommend anything to you.
If your water heater is getting up there in years, or you’re just curious, give us a call. We’re happy to come take a look and talk it through, with no pressure.
Tri-County Services: Hot water on demand, savings on repeat.
