Indirect vs Electric water heater

Ghynes440 · 11:03AM

We recently replaced our old oil boiler with a Weil Mclain gv90+5 gas boiler over fall of last year. The plan was to eventually install an indirect tank with the boiler, but I am trying to decide which will be better/lower cost in the long run.

We currently run out of hot water (my wife does in her 30+ minute showers) with our current electric water heater which was installed in 2020. We moved into the house last year.

When I converted from oil to gas I was hoping to save a good amount of money over the winter, but didn't realize how much gas we would be using for our boiler. Our bills were $240 each month just for gas. I guess it's better than the $3000 the previous owners spent filling oil up throughout the year.

Which is typically the better option between the two? Our heater guy quoted us $2500 to install the indirect tank.

We are with Peco so our KWH is .102 and our gas is .681 CCF

pecmsg · 12:07PM

Fuel Comparison Calculator for Home Heating | Coalpail.com

ethicalpaul · 12:16PM

you have asked about cost but then you mention your issue with running out of hot water.

a heat pump water heater is the cheapest.

But the indirect should recover faster. Of course you’ll be paying to heat up your boiler all summer which I find to be insane.

Get your wife a low flow shower head and an 80 gallon tank

SuperTech · 12:30PM

In my experience Indirect tanks last a lot longer on average than electric water heaters. Many indirect water heaters are stainless steel or plastic lined and do not have an anode to replace. Electric water heaters can last a long time too if attention is paid to maintenance but most people tend to ignore the required maintenance. The heat pump water heaters have their advantages but they tend to be a throw away appliance when they develop a refrigerant leak or any other problems develop with the refrigeration system.

hot_rod · 1:47PM

if you can identify the DHW load, then size the tank to that. A 30 minute shower with a 1.5 gpm shower head?

40-50 gallon Indirects cover most households, you can run them at 140 and add a mix valve to extend the drawdown capacity. Your boiler output has a lot to do with recovery time.

If you had an 80 gallon tank would your wife take a 45 minute shower?

For endless hw, a tankless is an option.

https://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/water-heating-cost-comparison/

Ghynes440 · 3:27PM

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895739#Comment_1895739

interesting, never thought about adding a mixing valve and running a higher temp.

I think running out of hot water is the only reason she gets out!

Larry Weingarten · 4:11PM

Hi, Can you tell us the size of the tank, and using a bucket and stopwatch, measure the actual gpm of the shower… then let us know that number as well. I'm pretty sure those numbers will help us give you some solid ideas. 😊

Yours, Larry

hot_rod · 4:27PM

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1895767#Comment_1895767

That is often the case, people tend to use what is available, be it 30 or 80 gallons :)

GroundUp · 5:20PM

At $.102/kWh, the energy used to create the same amount of hot water as the boiler/indirect would cost approximately $2.69 compared to $.68 for NG. Using an electric WH with prices like that is insane, in my opinion. An example of 100 gallons per day with a 70 degree temp rise would be a difference of roughly $39 per month. 5 years your indirect is paid for and you're saving $468/yr after that.

Indirect vs Electric water heater

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