Hello My Neighbor installed a 25-PDV in the basement and saved alot of oil. To eliminate the oil completely, an ECO Smart ECO-18 Hot Water heating system was just installed! The 40 gallon holding tank takes the 50-60 Deg F town water from the street and warms it to about 70-80 Degrees F, Then using 2 - 40 Amp 220 volt breakers for a maximum of 75 amp draw, instantly heats the water on demand only from the warmer water in the storage tank to the set temp, in their case 120 Degrees for the hot water in the home! I saw the system in action and it seems very efficient. The hot water from the FHW Boiler tankless coil goes right into the ECO tank so the boiler can be used as backup. If the boiler is turned off, the the ECO Smart system will do all the heating. Does anyone have experience with this system? If a tank of oil or say 250 gallons per year is used to heat hot water for 3.50 per gallon or $875.00 dollars per year then how much would the electricity cost and does it really save money? The cost of this system is less than $1,000.00 Home Depot price for basic unit http://www.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart...ectric-Tankless-Water-Heater-ECO-18/203316216
I put in the ECO 24. no preheating. no back up. You can run the tub all day and have 120* water. I'm a plumber. And I'm impressed! the ECO24 uses three 40amp breakers and can pull 112 amps. It's been in about 3-4 years and i would say i save at least $5-10/ month check out this thread don2222 http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/tankless-water-heaters.1033/
I have considered putting one in. Don2222, keep us posted on how it performs. The numbers sound impressive.
I have nothing to add to the original poster, but for those that are looking to save money on domestic water heating, look at the GE Geospring. I had one installed last summer to replace an old propane unit, and my electric bill actually went DOWN. I'm pretty sure it's because my dehumidifier doesn't have to run as much, but not totally sure. Either way, the last 5 months of electric were less Kwh this year than before I had the Geospring put in. Just wanted to throw that out there.
From what I understand the biggest thing with on demand heaters are water quality and flow volume. Gary
I SO APPRECIATE that you posted this! I want to do similar. I want to use an existing 40 gal electric hot water heater instead of the holding tank to temper the water. I have excellent guidance from a similar thread here, but I'd love to hear your neighbors experience before spending our hard earned money. HD runs one day sales on these heaters a few times per year, hopefully if it works out for your neighbor I could snag one! Thanks again and please keep us updated
First fix after 6 years $20 !! Electric Eco Smart On Demand DHW panel first Fix when element cleaning does not solve the problem