Water Heaters - Electric

How It Works? – Electric

In household and commercial usage, most North American water heaters have traditionally been the tank type. Also called storage water heaters, these consist of a cylindrical vessel or container that keeps water continuously hot and ready to use. Typical sizes for household use range from 75 to 400 litres (20 to 100 US gallons). These may use electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil, solar, or other energy sources. Natural gas heaters are most popular in the US and most European countries, since the gas is often conveniently piped throughout cities and towns and currently is the cheapest to use.

Another popular arrangement where higher flow rates are required for limited periods is to heat water in a pressure vessel that can withstand a hydrostatic pressure close to that of the incoming mains supply. In North America, these vessels are called hot water tanks, and may incorporate an electrical resistance heater, an air source heat pump, or a gas or oil burner that heats water directly.

Where hot-water space heating boilers are installed, DHW cylinders are usually heated indirectly by primary water from the boiler, or by an electric immersion heater (often as backup to the boiler). In the UK these vessels are called un-vented cylinders. In the US, when connected to a boiler they are called indirect-fired water heaters.

• Energy usage

The power consumption of electric showers in the maximum heating setting is about 5.5 kW for 120 V and 7.5 kW for 220 V. The lower costs with electric showers compared to the higher costs with boilers is due to the time of use: an electric shower uses energy only during the water flow, while a boiler works many times a day to keep a larger quantity of standing water hot for use throughout the day and night. So electric showers may save energy compared to gas central heaters. A 20-minute bath by an electric shower can cost about US$0.10, but the same bath using water from a gas heater can cost three times as much. This difference can be larger where the electricity is cheaper than the gas supply, or in tropical countries where the maximum power consumption is required only during the cold seasons.

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