[Greenbuilding] Water heaters( Marathon or standard electric)

[Carmine Vasile]

No; a tankless electric water heater is a much better & greener investment. 
See RMI Home Energy Brief #5 @ 
http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Energy/E04-15_HEB5WaterHeat.pdf; Table 1 for 
some comparisons.

Why on God's not-so Green Earth would you install a 105 gallon residential 
water heater costing $850? Your idea to by a cheap, inefficient 50-gallon 
unit every 10 years is precisely what utilities encourage becaue as they age 
their dip tubes have been known to disintigrate, which renders them 
exceptionally inefficient. Your coop is probably getting a kick-back for 
promoting expensive & wasteful tank-type water heaters. That's what electric 
utilities do to justify bulding power plants & LNG terminals to accept LNG 
from the Mideast!


>From: "Tom Wiprud" <wipfamly at hutchtel.net>
>To: <greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
>Subject: [Greenbuilding] Water heaters( Marathon or standard electric)
>Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 20:59:00 -0600
>
>I plan on building a new house soon.  I received the coop newsletter.  They
>had the 105 gallon Marathon, R25  leakproof  water heater for about $850.
>
>    My question is, would this be a good investment at $850, or would I be
>better off  buying standard electric water heaters,(2 water heaters, 50
>gallons each) and insulating them inside a box, and figure on replacing 
>them
>in 10 years?   What are your opinions or suggestions?    Thanks    Tom
>
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