Tankless heaters do their part to fight droughts
While Hollywood may have given all of California a veneer of glitz and glamor, there's nothing decadent about the water shortage crisis the state is going through at the moment. According to the California Department of Water Resources, 26 counties and 10 cities, including the capital city of Sacramento, have had drought emergency plans put into effect. As of May 18, some of California's drinking water reservoirs have receded by up to 57 percent.
In times like these, every homeowner has a responsibility to use less water to benefit the environment. However, that doesn't mean you have to go back to the days of collecting rain for bathwater or going days without showering. In fact, by upgrading your home's water heating system to include tankless heaters, you might be doing the environment and your family a big favor.
The pressure to save water is on
In the past, droughts were less of a social issue to homeowners than they were things that affected how high their utility bills climbed in the summer. However, California homeowners used to drenching their lawns with as much water as they please are learning how much things have changed through "drought shaming."
NPR explained that it's becoming common for people in the Sunshine State to post pictures of neighbors' vibrantly green lawns as a way to highlight inappropriate water use during the drought. While the state government hasn't commented on it yet, they may even be using these social shaming moments to keep track of homeowners who violate ordinances aimed at conserving resources. If this is true, how long before homes are monitored for overall water usage straight from the utility companies' meters?
Cut down on wasted water with tankless heaters
If you're thinking about changing how you use water both outside your home as well as within, you should start from the bottom, which means taking another look at your old storage water heater.
"No water flows down the drain that isn't being put to a good use."
While you already know that continuously applying a flame or other heating element to the tank wastes electricity or gas, if your model is particularly old and can't work as efficiently as it used to, you might be wasting water in unseen ways. Because your family might be accustomed to letting the shower or sink run for a minute or two before the water warms up, you're doing no better than the neighbors who don't turn their automatic sprinklers off during a drought.
On the other hand, tankless water heaters eliminate the need to wait for water at the perfect temperature. With a finely tuned and maintained tankless unit, you're provided with exactly what you need when you need it. No water flows down the drain that isn't being put to a good use.
As a single homeowner, no one's asking you to single-handedly save California from droughts, but if everybody did their part and cut down on water waste with tankless heaters, who knows what could happen?