Extreme winter seasons necessitate the use of water heaters in most countries around the world. Thanks to advancements in science and technology, we now have a large variety of heaters available that run on different types of fuels. If your nation is rich in gas whereas electricity is relatively costlier, gas-powered water heaters would probably be the norm in your place. This article briefly discusses the most common types of water heaters currently available in markets.



By far the most usual type of hot water heater has a tank. You can get these heaters in a range of sizes, shorter ones to fit in small spaces and taller ones if you have spacious houses and consume hot water frequently. Most of these use electricity or gas to heat the water inside their storage tanks, but you can also find them running on solar energy, fuel oil or propane. One could put the thermostat to whatever temperature and then the heater would auto-start if that temperature dropped. The unit would auto-shut off when the water within the tank reaches the set temperature. Since these heaters constantly heat up water whether you use it or not, they usually waste a good deal of energy, which means wastage of money too. So make sure you turn them off whenever you leave home for a few days.

Contrary to these, manufacturers have come up with on-demand tankless hot water heaters, which heat only when you use water. Whenever you open the tap or shower, sensors feels the water flow and the heater starts. So within a few seconds, you will start getting hot water as long as you keep the water supply open. And when you turn off the tap, the heater would shut down automatically. This way, you use fuel only when you need it and save the extra expense you would usually incur when using tank-type heaters. In addition, since tankless heaters don't need any storage tanks, they also mean less space. Over time, these can be cost-effective, even if they come with a high initial price tag.

Another type that comes without a storage tank is the tankless coil water heater. These are actually part of the combined water and space heating system, and use a heating coil located inside a boiler or furnace to bring water to your desired temperature. When you open a tap, water runs through these heating coils and gets hot before coming at your end. These are ideal for extremely cold cities where the system remains on for longer durations.

If you happen in a place where you get plenty of sunshine around the year and you also consume a good deal of hot water frequently, then solar water heaters can turn out to be the best choice for you. If the location is perfect and you can get your hands on a quality solar heater, it can be sufficient to provide you with hot water constantly. Storage tanks are needed, thought, and so are not the best idea if one doesn't get sun for several days every month.

You can also find many other less common products like heat pump water heaters, heat recovery units, and oil water heaters if you want to do more research. When buying a water heater, always consider the fuel type (and its availability and cost), size of the appliance, how energy-efficient it is, and what it costs.