Should you go for an instant or storage water heater?
Let's help you get started.
We will cover 5 key differences between instant and storage heaters.
Note: this guide is good for HDBs and condos. For landed homes, take a look at this guide instead.
• We have worked with thousands of water heaters in Singapore.
• Here are some facts about both heaters.
• It will help you make an good choice, based on your needs.
There are no right or wrong answers.
Every water heater has a different performance.
Choose one based on what kind of shower you like.
If you are lost, take a heater quiz, and we'll point you in the right direction.. but the final decision is yours.
1. Size & Where to Fix
Instant heater
• Not popular for BTOs. BTO already has concealed piping. With instant, need to an extra exposed pipe to the shower area.
Storage heater
• Can fit up to 50 lit in common bath
• Popular size for families up ot 4 pax, 40 lit
• Anything above 50 lit, has to be in yard.
How fast can you get hot water?
The closer the heater is to the shower area, the faster you will get hot water.
Example:
You have a gas heater at the yard area.
It will take about 30 seconds to clear out the cold water in the pipes till the hot water reaches you in the shower.
How fast you get hot water is not the same as how much time a heater needs to reheat cold water.
For more info on reheating time, see: Recovery Rate.
2. What Water Pressure Will You Get?
Instant heater
• will lower your water pressure
• they slow down water flow rate, so it has time to heat up.
• If water goes in at 10 lit/min, it may go out at 5 lit/min.
Storage heaters
• won't reduce your water pressure
• normal water pressure is 2-3 bars, if yours is low, install a storage.
• If water goes in at 10 lit/min, it will go out at 10 lit/min.
3. Why the price difference?
• Low budget means low performance
• Rainshowers need high flow
• Rain showers need a high pressure storage heater
• Bathtubs need a bigger storage heater, at least 80 litres.
If you're like me and you need good water pressure, you should invest in a storage heater.
An instant heater is tankless. A storage heater has a tank. Before and after a replacement for comparison, HDB.
Instant heater
• $150 is the most basic water heater option in Singapore.
• If you have 2 baths, you need 2 instant heaters as these cannot be shared.
Storage heater:
•$500 is the basic version with only a heating light indicator.
• Advanced digital models go over $800. They have features like timers and speed heating.
Why is high water pressure so important today?
In the past, high-flow rain showers and body jets did not exist. Today, we like these luxuries.
To support rain showers, a heater should produce a flow rate of at least 10 lit/min.
If your water heater only gives you 5 lit/min, the rain shower water pressure will be too low.
If your water heater only gives you 5 lit/min, the rain shower water pressure will be too low.
4. Which Saves More Energy?
Water heaters account for about 20% of the total electricity consumption in a home.
Instant heater:
• Electric consumption is low due to low flow rate.
• Less water to heat = less energy used
Storage heater
• Uses more energy than instant heaters.
• High flow = more energy used
5. Which is Easy to Maintain?
Water heaters are the highest wattage appliances in your home. Old electric wires may spark and cause power trips or dangerous short circuits.
For your safety, maintain them every 3 years. This prevents gas leaks and wiring issues. Water heaters with poor maintenance fail fast and pose a risk.
Well maintained water heaters can last over 10 years.
New: BathBox, the Hybrid Heater
If you're looking for another option that gives you the right amount of water pressure, but at a lower price, let us introduce the BathBox.
The convenience of a tankless heater with the performance comparable to a storage heater, the BathBox is the all the rage.
Conclusion: Instant or Storage?
It’s all about personal preference, there are no right or wrong answers. Pick a heater that suits your lifestyle!
You can see that instant heaters:
• are smaller, cheaper
• have lower performance than storage
• can save more energy than storage
Heaters that weren’t covered:
Digital water heaters
Digital heaters fall under the category of ‘Electric storage water Heaters’. They are more advanced, and have speed heating, hot water multiplier technology and built in timers.
Tankless water heaters
Tankless heaters like BathBox are a hybrid, between storage and instant heaters. They have a higher water pressure of 7lit/min and are water saving.
Solar water heaters
Solar heaters, like heat pumps are renewable energy heaters. They are a type of storage water heater. Instead of using heat from the air, they use heat from the sun.
They are only suitable for landed homes, and are a less popular choice because of their lower efficiency compared to heat pumps.
Booster pump instant water heaters
These are instant water heaters for homes with extremely low water flow rate, 3 lit/min.
These small booster pumps bump up the flow to about 4 lit/min. They are quite noisy.
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