During the cold season, every person will want to use warm water, either when taking a shower or doing other house chores like cleaning.

For this reason, every homeowner wants to invest in a power source that is efficient and affordable. When it comes to the source of power, the common options are gas and electric water heaters. Note that the two alternatives provide reliable means to heat water in your tanks.

A gas water heater tends to be a cheap alternative since the energy used to heat water comes from burning a fuel, which is natural gas.

On the other hand, you need to install electric resistance coils to use an electric water heater. While the gas water heaters are not efficient like electric heaters, the high cost of electricity makes the operational cost of electric heaters high.

Gas water heaters tend to be a convenient choice for big families since they have a faster recovery rate.

 

	Electric Water Heater		Gas Water Heater
Power source	Domestic energy: can be coal, wind power, nuclear or natural gas energy		Natural gas
Operates in power outage	No		Yes
Life Expectancy	13 years		12-13 years
Recovery Rate	~14 gallons/hr.		~50 gallons/hr.
Efficiency	0.90.		0.60.
13 Year Price	$6,769	$5,394
Price	$300 to $2880 (+wiring and installation)	$250 to $1500 (+gasline if there isn’t already one)
Types	Storage, tankless, heat pump.	Storage, tankless, condensing.

 

 

• Gas and Electric Water Heater: which is better

• Performance

 

A gas heater has the capability of heating a 50-gallon storage rage within 60 minutes. The time a gas heater takes to reheat a water tank after use (recovery rate) is faster compared to that of an electric heater.

Another benefit of the gas water heater is that they can operate in even when power outage occurs. For large families, a gas water heater is the best choice an electric one will have difficulties in maintaining the hot water demands of many people.

The major drawback of an electric water heater is that it has a slow recovery rate. This means that a 50-gallon tank will need more time to recover.

 

• Efficiency

 

In most cases, gas storage units tend to be inefficient due to the heat loss from exhaust gases and walls of a tank. Water remains hot all the time and even though this is beneficial, it implies that energy is wasted. The remedy for this problem is the use of condensing units which can help in increasing efficiency.

While electric heaters are known to be energy efficient, the savings in consumption of actual power are mitigated by expensive electricity bills. Electric heat pump units are extremely more efficient but they are rare and come with the high cost of installations.

 

• Cost and Lifespan

 

Even though the cost of installation for the two water heating options is almost the same, electricity will be expensive to use than gas since electric units are more costly to operate.

Electric heater installation can be more costly since you might need a 220-volt outlet and connection for the electrical appliances. Electric water heating units have a longer life cycle than gas water heaters, but this will depend on the quality of water and how you maintain the heater.

For many homeowners, gas is a less costly alternative than electricity and this is the reason as to why many people prefer gas water heaters. This option is much cheaper if you already have a gas line available in your home. Changing from electric to gas can be costly since you will need to install a gas line and venting to exhaust heat.  

 

• Types

 

In many homes, the common type of water heaters is the storage tank that can carry 20-100 gallons of hot water and ready to be used at any time. The system stores a large amount of hot water but needs a recovery time once the tank has been used.

• Tankless heating

They traditionally heat water using electric coil but has recently been adopted in the gas-fired units. The tankless system heats water on demand, providing a large volume of hot water. The units are more costly than traditional storage water heaters and restrict water flow to keep it hot.

• Condensing boilers

Condensing boilers are the high-efficiency option for gas heaters. This system is designed to use energy from exhaust gases to heat cold water that comes into the storage tank. This can attain an increase in efficiency of 20% over traditional gas heating units.

• heat pump device

The latest alternative in electric water heating is the heat pump device. The system uses energy from the surrounding air to warm water.   These units are the most energy efficient domestic water heating appliances though they are costly.

 

• Pros of the gas water heater

 

• Gas heaters tend to heat water faster than electric units.
• Gas water heating units that are ignited with a pilot light instead of electric ignition will work even in an event of power outage.
• Note that electricity tends to be expensive than natural gas in most towns and this makes gas heating units an affordable means.

 

• Cons

 

• Even though the energy bills will be low when using a gas water heater, installation and maintenance of the gas models tends to be high.
• Gas water heating units have a short life cycle than electric heaters.

 

• Electric water heater

 

• An electric water heater offers a high level of convenience since it is more easy to use than a gas water heater.
• They are cost efficient since once you install an electric heater, they effectively reduce the cost of warming more water and keeping it hot.
• There is no wastage of energy since you only heat the water that you intend to use at the moment.
• The electric unit heats water on demand and for this reason, they help in conserving water.

 

• Cons of the electric water heater

 

• They are costly in the long run

• Can’t operate in an event of a power outage
• Long recovery time

 

• Final Thoughts

 

Gas water heaters are the best option for people with large families because electric heaters can’t keep up with high demands of hot water.

On the other hand, electric water heaters are a perfect alternative since they are more energy efficient than gas heaters. Additionally, electric heaters have low maintenance costs and they are the best option for small families living in cold areas. Low cost in installation and purchase makes it perfect for such conditions. When shopping for this unit, it is important you do a thorough research to define which suits your requirements.

Running a beautiful home isn’t an accident. It’s something that happens with effort, aimed towards the result you most hope to enjoy. A family home is also a dynamic process, something you have to maintain, but also something you can repeatedly enjoy. As a family lives there over the years, the character of the place changes with it. Perhaps one of the saddest things a prospective buyer can see is a home that’s been neglected over the years, filled with potential but simply no one with the financial backing or willingness to make a real change there.

 

Of course, you’re likely in no danger of having this happen to your familial home. It’s also unlikely that you need a guide to tell you how to love your home, because you do that passively all by yourself. However, sometimes when moving into a new place for the first time and adapting to the homemaker’s mindset, a little forethought and understanding of fundamental services to use can help you in a large manner.

 

The most important fundamentals of your home are essential to take care of, and luckily they are listed as below:

 

Plumbing

 

Plumbing is among one of the most important resources any person needs to get right. This is because a shoddy job can sometimes cost expensive or irreparable damage, and that’s likely something you are absolutely hoping to avoid. Good plumbing also gives you a greater degree of freedom in how rooms are designed, and where you place certain implements. A good plumbing job can reduce the long-term designs of new difficulties by a large margin, and that can truly make all the difference in the long-term. Be sure to vet your plumbing hires well, or use a tried and tested offering such as ABC Plumbing Services for a reliable job each and every time. This often makes the biggest difference in the quality and nature of the work conducted.

 

Hygiene Maintenance

 

All homes have their own hygiene pitfalls. It might be that your home has a tendency for rot due to the setup of a wet room, the moisture of ventilation, and perhaps how hard certain weather conditions hit it. It might be you have smaller crawlspaces that often foster an outside accessway for pests, and must be thoroughly maintained and controlled. It could be that the beams in your roof are starting to rot and desperately need replacement, or that your shingles are covered in moss and might need a deep clean. Hygiene maintenance is not only important to keep on top of, but identify in the first place. With a diligent outlook, you can achieve this.

 

Repairs

Home repairs are important to ensure completion of immediately. It could be that one of your steps on the staircase is slightly weak, and could perhaps harm someone who forgets to avoid that step in the meantime. Your garden path might be uneven and promote a difficult sense of traversal, heightening the chance of falls. Repairs are important to take care of, so always keep an operational budget to fix them no matter what.

 

With these tips, you’re sure to apply the most important fundamentals for your home first and foremost.

Adding personality and decorating our home can be a fun way to refresh and update it. However, there are key pieces that are worth investing time and thought over, so that you don’t end up making constant (and often costly) changes to your interior space. The following are some ideas for those with a busy family home, who want to invest wisely.

A Place To Dine

 

The table where the family gets together to eat, play games, and discuss their lives, is often the heart of the home. If you’re always making memories while sitting at that large piece of furniture, it should be an item that will last and adapt to your life and interior space as they evolve and develop. Therefore, it’s wise to think about buying a sturdy table, in a classic design, that will last through any trend or room you might put it in. When the design of a table is fairly straightforward, it also allows for the introduction of different styles of chairs, ensuring it will withstand any drastic changes in interior movement. As with most items in this list, these investments can be expensive for most families, therefore, it might be worth looking into home equity loan vs line of credit in regards to funding any large items or perhaps renovation cost so that you can make wise financial decisions.

 

Somewhere To Sleep

 

On average a human spends a third of their lifetime asleep in their beds, making it an integral part of any home. Nowadays, people also tend to watch T.V, read, and spend time on social media when snuggled up under the duvet; therefore investing in a quality bed will ensure you’re comfortable and well-rested for years to come. Bedsheets, cushions, and even the bed frame can be affordable things to change when interior themes and style move on, but the mattress is the most important part of bed and should be chosen wisely.

 

A Chill-Out Zone

 

Again, interior styles will continue to evolve and change; so you want to buy furniture that will stand the test of time. Cushions and throws can be updated to suit colour schemes in a living room and to introduce pattern; however, a sofa is a risky way to directly update the overall look of a room, as interior trends can change quickly. It’s a smart move to pick a sofa style that will have longevity, like an old school classic design, or a simple and clean silhouette, for those who prefer a modern feel to a space.

 

Something Special

 

There are few items in your home that will actually appreciate in value; however, art can be one of them. Aside from bringing back special memories from where and why you bought it, art can inject your true style and personality in a room, and make it truly unique. When spending more money on art, it’s a wise choice not to pick it simply because it fits in with an interior scheme. Instead, choose art that you love and reflects who you are, that way you’ll continue to admire it wherever it sits in the house. Invest carefully, and you’ll have homewares that will last you for a long time ahead.