Anyone switched from electric cylinder to continuous flow gas hot water?

[Gareth123]

I'm interested in hearing the pro's and cons of switching over to a gas system.

I've used a gas continuous flow hot water system before and really liked it. I have no idea though whether switching over will save me any money in the long run.

[avgas]

We moved from a full electric house (average bill $80 month) to a gas electric one ($78/month electric + $45 gas month).......don't really see the point apart from the 'immediate hot water thing'.

Cheaper option would be to get on of those pumps put in you flow to the shower head - and this also feels great.

[Gareth123]

Cheaper option would be to get on of those pumps put in you flow to the shower head - and this also feels great.

So you'd still be heating a tank full of hot water?

[cmoore]

changed over from electric HWC to an Infinity system years ago....no real change in cost to run but i like being able to dial the shower temperature in.....and it made more room in the airing cupboard.....and it gave me a gas supply to the house so i could have a gas cooker.....

[scissorhands]

I have continuous and wish we just had electricity only. I would save money

[Drunken Monkey]

A hot water cylinder gives you a handy emergency backup water supply if mains is cut off for an extended length of time.

[bungbung]

The infinity style system can be a total pain when you want a small amount of water, for example at the kitchen sink. There is a delay while the system fires up and brings the water up to temp. A good compromise would be to use a small cylinder for the sink(s) and use the infinity for bath and shower.

[Grumph]

like much else in life there is no one ideal solution...
Gas option depends greatly on where in NZ you are - and the price resulting.

For us - SI rural - a small under bench cylinder for instant use and a larger conventional cylinder heating on a timer only once per day - but with a manual override if needed and a wetback too, gives us all we need.

Solar can also make a huge difference - I'm sure Ed will be along shortly....

[pzkpfw]

I don't mean to be an alarmist or anything, this post is not "the sky is falling".

But, gas will run out eventually, or at least get more and more expensive as it gets harder to suck out of the ground and we have to import more or make it out of something. *

Whereas through dams, wind turbines (or whatever) we'll always have electricity (even when we don't burn coal or gas to make it).

One day we might even all have little wind turbines on our roofs. But we won't all be making enough gas at home to make hot water with.

Given the cost savings (little) I wouldn't bother.

(But if I were building a new house, I'd maybe go solar...)


* I fully admit I have no idea if this is an issue in 5, 50 or 500 years time.

[Edbear]

Did someone call...?

Having been in the industry for a while I'd go solar/electric if I needed to replace an electric cylinder. The problem with Rinnai or Rheem instant systems apart from what has been said here, is that without power you have no hot water unless you have a battery back-up system for the starter. You do need to tailor the system to your specs as they can't be too far away from the end tap and you can't increase the pressure either for better flow.

Some people like them, but generally you're better off with electric. We have gas for hot water, cooking and heating and the advantage is that the cylinder has a reserve storage of hot water and we can still use the hob for cooking. Our gas fire has died and I'm replacing it with one that doesn't require elctricity for the ignition or extractor fan.

The advantage of solar is in added value, much lower water-heating costs, about 60+% lower and many people have actually turned the power off altogether except for a month or so mid-Winter.

However, don't just get a salesman to sell you a system, have a talk to a qualified installer who can advise on what will suit your particular situation as there is a large variation in pricing and performance and the system needs to fit your home.

[BMWST?]

i have priced solar and the start up cost is HUGE.Most systems pay back period is beyond the guarantee period on the solar panels themselves.Some people say vacumn tube is better,some say "flat panels " are better...cant seem to find anyone who has an independent view of that cos they all seem to be one or the other.The other arguement is that the solar installion adds value to tyour house from day 1.
Re the gas thing the instant gas heating is more efficient but you have to balance that against the fact you will now pay TWO daily charges(or one daily charge and a bottle rental).
A large part of your electricty bill is hot water,and for most of that is an absolute waste...having 135 litres of hot water just sitting there for when we need it.

[steve_t]

Excellent thread! I have a massive outdoor gas heated cylinder but I basically live alone and usually only shower at home on weekends (actually 3/14 days cos I work every second saturday). I think the dishwasher heats cold water for its use and I do cold laundry. So basically, I use SFA hot water. I was thinking of pricing up getting it changed over to an instant system which should be easy with the gas lines and plumbing all there, but now I'm more hesitant. What's an Infinity type system go for these days?

Edbear, what's the go with the solar hybrid systems? Are you able to link me thru to some more info? Cheers

[Edbear]

Heat pumps are close to the cost of solar, $5k - $6k and are as efficient as solar but you do still rely on electricity. A solar system should be between $6k and $9k depending on type of system. Both evacuated tube and flat panel are good with some preferring one of the other. I'd probably go for price here.

Most solar systems use a back up circulation pump which is electric but draws very little power and you can get a fully thermo-siphon system. Be careful in choosing your installer as some major solar companies screw the installer's price down and there are some real cowboys out there doing rushed cheap installations that are going to cause customers major headaches in a few years! My son-in-law told one of the biggest and best known solar companies to take their system and put it somewhere as they were constantly hassling him over price. They weren't interested in the quality of the installation, just the quickest and cheapest, and my son-in-law wasn't interested in damaging his rep or doing the job below his cost.

[Edbear]

Excellent thread! I have a massive outdoor gas heated cylinder but I basically live alone and usually only shower at home on weekends (actually 3/14 days cos I work every second saturday). I think the dishwasher heats cold water for its use and I do cold laundry. So basically, I use SFA hot water. I was thinking of pricing up getting it changed over to an instant system which should be easy with the gas lines and plumbing all there, but now I'm more hesitant. What's an Infinity type system go for these days?

Edbear, what's the go with the solar hybrid systems? Are you able to link me thru to some more info? Cheers

There's little point in having a solar/gas hybrid as they will compete for the water heating. A gas system runs continuously due to the pilot light and will heat the water first with the solar being the back-up system which rather defeats the purpose unless you set it up the other way around. However as most people can turn the power off altogether with solar, the best system is solar/electric.

[Edbear]

PS. Infinity systems are around the $1200.00 - $1800.00 mark plus installation. Cheapest way to go is leave as is though you could turn the cylinder off if you're not using it for a few weeks.