BuzzLife

Just bought a new house and thinking of installing a water heater? Let me share with you some tips and ideas to choose the right water heater. In Malaysia, generally there are 3 kinds of water heater which can supply hot water to your homes.

1. Solar hot water

This is the most cost-efficiency way to generate hot water to your homes. They can be used in any climate and the energy they use - sunshine - is FOC.

Solar water heating system include storage tanks and solar collector. Most solar tanks have an additional outlets and inlets connected to and from the collector. The initial cost of installing a solar hot water system might be costly depending on capacity and brands. It can cost up to RM6K including installation. In the long run however, this is definitely a good buy because you can channel hot water to every water tap in your home and of course save energy cost.

2. Storage water heater

Storage water heater offer a ready reservoir from 15L to 70L of hot water. It operates by releasing hot water from the tank when you turn on the hot water tap. To replace the hot water, cold water enters the tank, ensuring the tank is always full.

Storage water heater normally comes with heavily insulated tank which significantly reduce heat losses, thus lowering annual operating costs. Storage type is recommended if you have a bath tub and its multi-point system can channel your hot water for bathing, cooking and washing.

You would need to mix the hot and cold water to get the required temperature needed. Normally you would need to switch the power on in advance to heat up the water. Depend on capacity, the next person who needs to take bath might need to wait for the storage tank to fill up with enough water before he/she can use. There are also the horizontal and vertical type to suit to your requirement and the space for installation. Price range from RM550 to RM800 (excluding installation) depends on models and capacity.

3. Instant water heater

In Malaysia, instant water heater is the most popular type of water heater because we use hot water mainly for showering. Instant water heater provides hot water only as it is needed. There are generally 2 types of water heater, the pump and non-pump type. I’ll write more about the differences and how to ensure the safety and maintenance of instant water heater in my next blog.

Instant water heater is relatively cheaper at the point of purchase. Price range from anthing below RM200 to RM500 (excluding installation) depends on models and features. It also comes with many kinds of design and color choices which can be part of your bathroom interior design.

I for one, regretted not installing the solar type at my home. I installed a storage type at my master bedroom bathroom and two instant home shower at the other 2 bathrooms. The only problem which I got from the storaga type is water leaking from the tank. Other than that, no problem because I can enjoy taking bath at the bath tub.. with hubby!

Hope the above tips helps.