PEACHTREE CITY, GA.—In an effort to educate Californians on the excessive cost of heating water with inefficient tank water heaters, Rinnai Corp., a leading tankless water heating company, has posted a billboard on California’s 405 freeway displaying the millions of dollars wasted in California each day by homes and businesses heating their water with inefficient water tanks.
According to an annual estimated cost from the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Assn. (GAMA) and Energy Factor (EF) from the May 2007 Consumers Directory of Certified Efficiency Ratings, the 13 million single-family homes in California waste approximately $5.1 million daily heating water with tank-type water heaters, equaling about $1.9 billion a year or more than $3,500 a minute. That amount is equivalent to the GDPs of several countries including Belize, Greenland, Mongolia, and Sierra Leone among others.
Similar to New York City’s national debt clock, the Rinnai billboard, which is located on the 405 freeway at the South Bay Curve, features an LED display with a running daily total of the money wasted in California by heating water in tanks. The billboard was activated on June 19.
“California has always been a trend-setting state when it comes to adopting energy efficient technologies,” says Ervin Cash, senior vice president of Rinnai. “Our hope is that the nearly 200,000 drivers who go past our billboard each day will recognize the positive economic impact of going tankless and decide to make the move to tankless water heating.”
Water Reheating Eliminated
Rinnai’s natural gas or propane tankless water heaters replace the inefficient technology of tank type water heaters. Traditionally, hot water tanks store a limited amount of water and constantly heat and reheat it, whether or not it is demanded.
Rinnai’s tankless unit holds no water. It attaches to the plumbing system and heats water as it runs through the unit’s heat exchanger. When a consumer opens a hot water tap or an appliance requires hot water, the unit begins to heat water within a few seconds and continues to deliver hot water, at a constant temperature, for as long as needed. When the consumer shuts off the hot water tap, the Rinnai unit shuts off, eliminating standby loss and conserving a substantial amount of energy versus a tank-type water heater. A Rinnai tankless water heater is up to 50 percent more energy efficient than standard tank-type water heaters.
In addition to energy efficiency, Rinnai’s tankless water heater also delivers substantial reductions in CO2 emissions and water use compared to a hot water tank. A Rinnai unit produces approximately 30 percent less CO2 emissions and saves 1,000 gallons of water annually compared to a water tank.
“Rinnai is committed to providing consumers with technological solutions that allow them to conserve energy, conserve water, and contribute to healthier air quality and climate without sacrificing lifestyle or convenience,” Cash says. “The rest of the world has been using tankless technology to heat water for decades; now it’s time that America does the same thing and California can lead the way.”
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