NORITZ BLOG

EZTR: Narrowing the Cost Gap with EZTR Between Tank and Tankless Water Heaters

By now, you may know the benefits of tankless over storage tank-type water heaters: Tankless heaters deliver hot water on demand, permanently ending the daily race to beat your family members to the shower. Tankless also saves up to 40 percent on energy costs and eliminates the threat of an old, leaking tank suddenly flooding your basement.

However — until now — you may have been hesitant to make the switch from tank to tankless due to the increased costs involved in purchase and installation. With Noritz’s release of the EZTR40 Residential Condensing Tankless Water Heater, specifically designed to replace 40-gallon tank-type gas water heaters, the reasons not to “go tankless” are beginning to dwindle, especially when it comes to installed cost. Now, making the switch from tank to tankless is fast, simple and more affordable.

EZTR eliminates the need for new plumbing:
Other tankless water heaters locate their hot- and cold-water connections on the bottom of the unit, whereas tank heaters have their connections on the top. This creates extra work when switching from tank to tankless, because the installer has to extend the plumbing to reach the bottom, which requires more time and piping materials. The EZTR conveniently has its water connections on the top, allowing the installer simply to reconnect the old water lines to the new tankless unit without any hassle
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EZTR uses the same vent…

The EZTR vents the flue gases created by the combustion process to the outdoors through the same B-Vent as the tank water heater it’s replacing. Using two-inch, flexible polypropylene tubing that comes with the EZTR40, you simply thread it through the existing B-Vent. This innovative capability eliminates the need to install a brand new venting system, cutting installation time and costs.

…And the same gas line:

You don’t have to increase the size of your gas line to accommodate the EZTR tankless water heater, either. In replacing a 40-gallon, tank-type water heater with an EZTR, you can use the same half-inch gas line as before. This cuts labor costs by up to half and eliminates the material costs of installing new, larger-diameter gas piping.

Traditionally, the main drawback of switching from tank to tankless has been the increased installed cost. Now, the EZTR narrows the cost difference by virtually eliminating the extra work and materials needed to make that extremely worthwhile switch. In essence, you can now enjoy all of the benefits of a tankless water heater for a lower up-front cost and, therefore, a faster payback on your investment.

When it comes to building and renovation, you have probably come across the acronym LEED more than a few times. Although you may know that it has something to do with being “green,” you may not know its exact purpose.

Standing for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council and oversees the new construction or renovation of environmentally sustainable structures, residential and commercial. From the planning and design phase, to the final touches, LEED sets guidelines and evaluates how effectively a project meets certain “green” standards.

Benefits of LEED

So why would somebody even bother trying to acquire LEED certification? To begin, LEED’s credibility is unquestioned, as it is the leading name in green building accreditation around the world. In essence, to be able to say that you are LEED-certified means instant recognition and respect when it comes to environmentally sustainable building practices.

In turn, the practical effects of having a LEED-certified project are resource and energy efficiency. Indeed, a building that meets LEED specifications will cost much less to operate, saving up to 40 percent on energy and water expenses.

Finally, the energy efficiency that springs from a LEED certification can qualify you for any number of tax deductions and rebates depending on your location. You can find more information on this through your state energy website or the IRS.

Types of Certification

LEED offers five different rating systems, depending on what type of project you are undertaking.

• The Building Design and Construction system applies to new construction projects or major renovations largely in the commercial sector.
• The Interior Design and Construction system applies to interior renovations.
• The Building Operations and Management system applies to improvements on existing buildings with little to no construction.
• The Neighborhood Development system applies to new land development for residential or nonresidential use at any stage of the process.
• The Homes system applies to single-family and multifamily homes up to eight stories.

Certification is credit-based. Projects are evaluated on various credit categories including water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and sustainable sites, among many others. Each rating system has minimum requirements that applicants must meet in certain credit categories in addition to optional ones that they accumulate beyond that. Meeting credit requirements earns you points. For example, installing a tankless water heater might gain you credit points in water efficiency. The number of points that you accumulate at the end determines your level of certification.

There are four levels of certification:

• To earn Certified status, you must accumulate 40-49 points.
• To earn Silver status, you must accumulate 50-59 points.
• To earn Gold status, you must accumulate 60-79 points.
• To earn Platinum status, you must accumulate 80+ points.

Getting Started

Once you determine which rating system matches your particular project, you need to go to LEED’s website to create an account and register. There is a registration fee for nonmembers of $1,200.

The next step is to apply. At this point, you will decide which credits to pursue in your project and state your specific intentions for a team of LEED professionals to review. You will submit a design application and a construction application. As a result, there are two mandatory reviews during the certification process that can earn you credits: the design review and the construction review. Certification fees vary per project, but begin at $2,750.

Note that certification is a long and complex process that will last throughout your entire project. If you are interested in pursuing certification, LEED will provide you with a host of resources once you register. LEED

What’s more convenient than having everything you need at the brush of a finger? Today, having a way to obtain resources and information while on the go is more important than ever before.

Accessing resources while on a job is invaluable for the plumbing contractor, but the streamlined version of the Noritz Professionals’ Page makes it even easier and quicker for professionals to get what they need on mobile devices.

Noritz’s user-friendly Professional webpages now contain access points to the Noritz University online training portal for convenient access to education resources. The online education resources offers contractors a useful way to gain knowledge to supplement personal training by Noritz sales personnel, allowing those tradespeople who are unable to attend in-person sessions the ability to gain and deepen their tankless knowledge quickly and effectively.

Other convenient items with access points on the Professionals’ Page include:

• The Noritz America Video Brochure

• The Noritz Gear Store:
  • Get your favorite Noritz gear, including apparel, tools, drinkware and other promotional items here.

• The Sizing Calculator:
  • Noritz offers a variety of tankless models for different size homes. Use this tool to find the right model to fit your home, business and hot water demands.
• The Procard Power Base:
  • Get technical support, manage your leads and track your rebates through this online portal for Noritz PROCard members.
• Technical Support:
  • PROCard members and installers can find out more information on how easy it is to install a Noritz tankless water heater and help their customers start saving energy costs by reading through these readily available plumbing diagrams, documents and other technical literature.

For more information on Noritz and Professionals’ resources, please visit https://www.noritz.com/professionals/?v3.

Tankless gas water heaters are a green technology that protects the earth and its valuable resources. With a Noritz tankless water heater, you not only get endless comfort with continuous hot water but you can also benefit from these glorious green facts. Here are four quick facts you need to know:

Green Fact 1: Energy Savings
A tankless water heater can you up to 40% of your current water heating bill.

Green Fact 2: Eco Friendly Lifestyle
Tankless water heaters reduce carbon emissions. If every U.S. household installed a Noritz tankless water heater, it would equate to the CO2 savings of taking about 6.7 million cars off the road.

Green Fact 3: Energy Star Rating
Most Noritz gas water heaters qualify for the energy star rating certification and the cost savings that are associated with it. Did you know that electric water hears don’t apply for the Energy Star rating?

Green Fact 4: Kermit the Frog is also green and uses a Noritz tankless water heater. Just kidding. He’s a muppet. He doesn’t shower. Or does he?

The real Green Fact 4: Reduced Landfill Waste
Noritz instant hot water heater units last up to twice as long as traditional tank water heaters and use recyclable components and replaceable parts, dramatically reducing landfill waste. There’s an average of 7.3 million water heaters disposed into landfills each year in the U.S.

To learn more about our selection of tankless hot water heaters and our green technology, visit Noritz.com.

Why you shouldn't always believe everything you hear about  instant hot water and other tankless myths.

You’ve seen it on the television show, MythBusters, and you’ve even heard it from your own mother: Everything you see and hear doesn’t always necessarily reflect reality. Below we’ve BUSTED some common myths on instant hot water heaters.

1.On-demand-type (tankless) water heaters make sense only in homes where water fixtures are close together: BUSTED

Explanation: Every home has multiple fixtures. The reality is that we don’t use all our fixtures all the time, and not all water-related tasks require hot water. The ones we worry about most are our showerheads because of the amount of hot water they use in a comparatively small time frame; i.e., first thing in the morning. But sized properly, a tankless system can meet all of a household’s hot-water needs, including from multiple showers that run simultaneously, as everyone gets ready for the day.

If you have body sprays or multiple shower heads in your master bath, you’re probably especially concerned about hot-water availability. Here, you might want to consider a dedicated tankless heater, sized to provide a continuous flow of water at the desired temperature and never run out. That’s not the case with a tank-type water heater: Once the tank is emptied, you’re stuck waiting for it to replenish itself.
 
  2. Tankless is best used as a point of use device in a large home: BUSTED
 
Explanation: Point-of-use is more commonly used in nursing homes or hospitals—places that need immediate access to hot water for washing or bathing someone.
 
As already noted, if sized properly, tankless systems can meet all the hot-water needs of entire households. Tankless units activate instantly when hot-water demand is detected (someone turns on a shower), but deactivate as soon as that demand is met, thus saving energy by not continually reheating water throughout the day when no demand exists.
 
But, unlike a point-of-use heater, tankless technology does not — by itself — provide “instant” hot water at the faucet, shower or appliance. The hot water must still travel through piping from the water heater to the outlet.
 
To eliminate that wait, a hot-water recirculation system should be installed, keeping hot water close to the outlet, minimizing the wait and, therefore, the waste of unused potable water down the drain. Newer, state-of-the-art tankless systems — including NRCP98-DV and the NRCP1112-DV, launching this October - use an internal pump to keep warm water circulating only when it is needed, rather than round-the-clock. Once again, that saves energy without lessening comfort or convenience.
 
3.  Tankless is better for irregular usage: BUSTED
     
    Explanation: That’s true. But, remember, irregular usage is the norm, not the exception. What household uses a constant amount of hot water around the clock?
 
That’s why a tankless water heater makes sense for all kinds of residential applications. It provides all the hot water that is required during periods of intensive use — showers in the morning, baths in the evening, clothes washing during the day. The rest of the time it sits idle, saving energy that a continuously operating storage-tank water heater wastes because its pilot light always on.
 
Not only does tankless save energy, it also saves space, adding value to a smaller home or apartment. Smaller tankless units are also price-competitive in replacement situations because they do not require a new (larger) gas line to be installed.
 
The bottom line: Everyone’s hot-water usage is irregular, which is why tankless provides the best of all worlds: a continuous and abundant supply of hot water that never runs out, with minimal energy consumption, and less wear and tear on the unit for a longer life cycle and an eventual payback.
 
For more information on tankless water heating, visit Noritz.com
 

Why you shouldn't always believe everything you hear about  instant hot water and other tankless myths.

You’ve seen it on the television show, MythBusters, and you’ve even heard it from your own mother: Everything you see and hear doesn’t always necessarily reflect reality. Below we’ve BUSTED some common myths on instant hot water heaters.

1.On-demand-type (tankless) water heaters make sense only in homes where water fixtures are close together: BUSTED

Explanation: Every home has multiple fixtures. The reality is that we don’t use all our fixtures all the time, and not all water-related tasks require hot water. The ones we worry about most are our showerheads because of the amount of hot water they use in a comparatively small time frame; i.e., first thing in the morning. But sized properly, a tankless system can meet all of a household’s hot-water needs, including from multiple showers that run simultaneously, as everyone gets ready for the day.

If you have body sprays or multiple shower heads in your master bath, you’re probably especially concerned about hot-water availability. Here, you might want to consider a dedicated tankless heater, sized to provide a continuous flow of water at the desired temperature and never run out. That’s not the case with a tank-type water heater: Once the tank is emptied, you’re stuck waiting for it to replenish itself.

  2. Tankless is best used as a point of use device in a large home: BUSTED

Explanation: Point-of-use is more commonly used in nursing homes or hospitals—places that need immediate access to hot water for washing or bathing someone.

As already noted, if sized properly, tankless systems can meet all the hot-water needs of entire households. Tankless units activate instantly when hot-water demand is detected (someone turns on a shower), but deactivate as soon as that demand is met, thus saving energy by not continually reheating water throughout the day when no demand exists.

But, unlike a point-of-use heater, tankless technology does not — by itself — provide “instant” hot water at the faucet, shower or appliance. The hot water must still travel through piping from the water heater to the outlet.

To eliminate that wait, a hot-water recirculation system should be installed, keeping hot water close to the outlet, minimizing the wait and, therefore, the waste of unused potable water down the drain. Newer, state-of-the-art tankless systems — including NRCP98-DV and the NRCP1112-DV, launching this October - use an internal pump to keep warm water circulating only when it is needed, rather than round-the-clock. Once again, that saves energy without lessening comfort or convenience.

3.  Tankless is better for irregular usage: BUSTED

    Explanation: That’s true. But, remember, irregular usage is the norm, not the exception. What household uses a constant amount of hot water around the clock?

That’s why a tankless water heater makes sense for all kinds of residential applications. It provides all the hot water that is required during periods of intensive use — showers in the morning, baths in the evening, clothes washing during the day. The rest of the time it sits idle, saving energy that a continuously operating storage-tank water heater wastes because its pilot light always on.

Not only does tankless save energy, it also saves space, adding value to a smaller home or apartment. Smaller tankless units are also price-competitive in replacement situations because they do not require a new (larger) gas line to be installed.

The bottom line: Everyone’s hot-water usage is irregular, which is why tankless provides the best of all worlds: a continuous and abundant supply of hot water that never runs out, with minimal energy consumption, and less wear and tear on the unit for a longer life cycle and an eventual payback.

For more information on tankless water heating, visit Noritz.com

Purchase A Tankless Water Heater And You May Qualify for A Rebate! 

Tankless water heaters, such as those manufactured by Noritz, offer many practical advantages over traditional ones. Among the advantages that you and your buyer might appreciate are the energy-efficiency rebates offered to those who “go tankless.”

Unlike traditional water heaters, which constantly heat the water, tankless water heaters operate on demand; that is, only when hot water is needed. For example, with an energy factor of .91 for natural gas (.93 for LP gas), Noritz’s NRC661 condensing tankless model is nearly 10 points more efficient than a comparably sized, conventional tankless unit, and approximately 30 points higher than a standard, tank-type gas-fired water heater. With water heating accounting for between 14 and 25 percent of household energy consumption, this added efficiency matters.

Aside from saving your buyer money on utility bills by installing a tankless water heater, you can also give him/her the opportunity to capitalize on the many utility rebates currently available around the country. For example…

• Sebring Gas System Inc. in Florida offers a $550 rebate for installing a tankless water heater during a new construction project.
• Questar Gas in Utah offers new-home builders a $350 rebate if they install a tankless water heater that has an efficiency factor of 0.90 or higher—which Noritz does.

You can look up what kinds of energy rebates exist in your state at energy.gov. Also, check to see if your state offers any tax credits for new, energy-efficient appliances.

Rebates exist not only for new-construction projects, but also for replacement jobs — if you happen to be doing a remodeling project. So when looking up energy rebates, be sure to note the type of the installation, since that may impact the rebate amount.

For example, homeowner John Park of Huntington Beach, California, received a $200 rebate from the Southern California Gas Company after he replaced his conventional water heater with a NRC661. “Our experience has been nothing but positive,” he comments. “We have the hot water we need, its temperature is reliable, we’re saving energy and we’ve capitalized on the incentives to help make the investment worthwhile.”

For those concerned about the typically higher up-front costs of a tankless water heater versus a tank model, the rebates are an easy way to narrow the difference. With most people doing anything they can to save a few dollars, informing your buyer about these energy rebates might be the deciding factor in their choosing you to install a new tankless water heater.

Hard waterIt’s not frozen and it hasn’t been lifting weights at the gym. “Hard water” means the water running through your pipes contains a high level of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium.

At an average temperature, these minerals combine with the water coming into your house. When water is heated, these minerals separate and latch onto the surfaces of your water heater and pipes. That creates buildup, causing inefficiency, damage and the need for replacement in certain circumstances. And, it’s not just the heaters and pipes you’ll be replacing, either. Faucets and showerheads get clogged due to the scale buildup. Depending on how many faucets or showerheads are in a home, the cost of replacing them may increase the amount of money you have to spend.

So, you may be asking yourself, “How can I tell if I have hard water? Should I consider investing in a water softening system?”

Here’s a 4-step trick to test if you have hard water. All you’ll need is a bottle of dish soap and water from a faucet:

Step 1: Get a bottle you can easily fill. Fill it halfway with the water you want to test. Screw on a cap (or put a thumb over the opening) and shake it up. Remove the cap (or thumb) and pour the water out.
Step 2: Fill the same bottle halfway again and add 5 drops of liquid dish soap. Cap it off and give it a couple good shakes.
Step 3: If the bottle is full of soapsuds and the suds flow out when the cap is removed, then congrats! You do not have hard water.
Step 4: The more you must shake the bottle to create soapsuds, and the less time those suds last, the "harder" your water. In short: If all you get is a soapy film in the bottle, then you have very hard water.
The most cost-effective solution to hard water problems is to install a water softener system, such as a Noritz Scale Shield: A unique product that provides superior lime scale prevention and corrosion control for your tankless water heater while still retaining the beneficial minerals in your water.
The Scale Shield requires no extra electricity or maintenance, and needs a cartridge replacement only one or two times per year.
For homes that have very hard to extremely hard water, a Noritz H2Flow System is most recommended. The H2Flow System requires no salt or chemicals and has no discharge. The H2Flow retains the beneficial minerals in water, produces no water waste, and needs to be replaced no more than every two years. Installing the H2Flow also extends the life of your tankless water heater system, and even reverses pre-existing scale problems.
The simple test we’ve included here is a quick way to determine if you need to take action on hard water. If you do have any concerns about hard water or switching your water to a water softening system, contact a Noritz University trained plumber for more information.
For more information on managing hard water and information about our selection of tankless water heaters, visit Noritz.com.

Hard waterIt’s not frozen and it hasn’t been lifting weights at the gym. “Hard water” means the water running through your pipes contains a high level of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium.

At an average temperature, these minerals combine with the water coming into your house. When water is heated, these minerals separate and latch onto the surfaces of your water heater and pipes. That creates buildup, causing inefficiency, damage and the need for replacement in certain circumstances. And, it’s not just the heaters and pipes you’ll be replacing, either. Faucets and showerheads get clogged due to the scale buildup. Depending on how many faucets or showerheads are in a home, the cost of replacing them may increase the amount of money you have to spend.

So, you may be asking yourself, “How can I tell if I have hard water? Should I consider investing in a water softening system?”

Here’s a 4-step trick to test if you have hard water. All you’ll need is a bottle of dish soap and water from a faucet:

Step 1: Get a bottle you can easily fill. Fill it halfway with the water you want to test. Screw on a cap (or put a thumb over the opening) and shake it up. Remove the cap (or thumb) and pour the water out.

Step 2: Fill the same bottle halfway again and add 5 drops of liquid dish soap. Cap it off and give it a couple good shakes.

Step 3: If the bottle is full of soapsuds and the suds flow out when the cap is removed, then congrats! You do not have hard water.

Step 4: The more you must shake the bottle to create soapsuds, and the less time those suds last, the "harder" your water. In short: If all you get is a soapy film in the bottle, then you have very hard water.

The most cost-effective solution to hard water problems is to install a water softener system, such as a Noritz Scale Shield: A unique product that provides superior lime scale prevention and corrosion control for your tankless water heater while still retaining the beneficial minerals in your water.

The Scale Shield requires no extra electricity or maintenance, and needs a cartridge replacement only one or two times per year.

For homes that have very hard to extremely hard water, a Noritz H2Flow System is most recommended. The H2Flow System requires no salt or chemicals and has no discharge. The H2Flow retains the beneficial minerals in water, produces no water waste, and needs to be replaced no more than every two years. Installing the H2Flow also extends the life of your tankless water heater system, and even reverses pre-existing scale problems.

The simple test we’ve included here is a quick way to determine if you need to take action on hard water. If you do have any concerns about hard water or switching your water to a water softening system, contact a Noritz University trained plumber for more information.

For more information on managing hard water and information about our selection of tankless water heaters, visit Noritz.com.

What are the benefits of condensing technology and how can they help me?

Water heaters are becoming more energy efficient, with engineers working to maximize the amount of heat that is transferred from the combustion process to the water. Condensing technology is available in both tank and tankless water heaters — is designed to capture and reuse heat that previously went up the flue.

Condensing tankless water heaters offer efficiency gains of approximately 10 to 15 percentage points over conventional tankless units. Of course, they also carry the Energy Star label. Like any tankless water heater, condensing heaters are an on-demand system with no hot-water storage and no pilot light burning 24/7. When a hot-water appliance, faucet or fixture is turned on, the tankless system senses flow and rapidly heats the incoming water to the designated temperature. However long the fixture or appliance operates, the tankless unit will meet the demand for water at the set temperature; i.e., “endless hot water.”

A condensing unit uses the same sequence of steps to generate hot water as a conventional tankless water heater. But it also incorporates a secondary heat exchanger to capture and repurpose the heat generated from the combustion gases before they escape and are vented outside. In other words, instead of sending hot exhaust gases out the flue, which wastes energy, condensing heaters use this heat to preheat the incoming water. That's why condensing gas water heaters are so efficient (up to 96 percent thermal efficiency).

The efficiency improvement might not be as drastic as switching from tank to tankless, but it certainly is not insignificant over the estimated 20-year life of a tankless water heater. If you’re looking to save energy, and you have a choice between 84 and 95 percent efficiency rating, wouldn’t you opt for the latter in most instances? If you’re interested in the latest and greatest in condensing tankless technology, you should check out the NRC711. On top of already existing benefits of condensing tankless units, the heater features a primary heat exchanger that is three times as durable, scale detection software for proactive leak prevention and a built-in digital display to aid servicing.

For more information on condensing technology,visit our website.