Natural Gas Water Heaters

Efficient natural gas water heaters offer many equipment options from tank to tankless.

Natural gas is a smart choice for commercial facilities
Energy conservation and sustainability practices are increasingly common in commercial facilities.  In fact, owners, customers and staff not only want it, they demand it.  Natural gas offers energy efficient water heating solutions for commercial customers.

Advantages of heating water with natural gas

• Efficient operation
• Faster recovery:  Heats water up to twice as fast as electricity
• More hot water from a tank gas water heater than an equivalent electric unit
• Safe and reliable
• Most models work when the power is out
• Options include: 
    - Standard Tank Water Heater
    - High Efficiency Tank Water Heater
    - Indirect Water Heaters (uses a boiler)
    - Continuous Water Heater (Tankless)
    - Combo heating (Boiler Summer-Winter hook up, or indirect water heating from boiler)
• Power direct vent, which takes its combustion air and exhausts to the outside of a facility can be installed almost anywhere
• Continuous water heaters never run out of hot water so there is no downtime waiting for the water heater to recover

Water heater options
Commercial building owners nationwide choose natural gas more frequently than any other energy source for water heating.  A number of equipment options exist for your facility.

Tank style water heaters provide long life, quick recovery and numerous installation options for any commercial facility.

Tank style water heaters
Commercial tank style gas water heaters are larger versions of traditional water heater storage tanks.  Water enters the tank and is heated to the selected water temperature and held until required.  Natural gas commercial units have higher heat inputs and provide water output temperatures up to 180 degrees F.  In larger commercial installations, multiple heaters may be connected together to meet building hot water needs.

• Saves money – typically costs less to operate than electric
• Heat water up to twice as fast as an equivalent electric model 
• Available in high efficiency models with 90%+ efficiencies
• Direct vent models can be vented horizontally or vertically

Condensing water heaters offer thermal efficiencies  typically between 90 and 96 percent.

Condensing water heaters
Condensing water heaters are storage-type water heater with enhanced burners and heat exchangers for ultra efficient operation.  The design of the tank eliminates a traditional center flue and replaces it with tubes submerged in water thru which hot combustion gases pass.  Using a high efficiency burner and enhanced heat exchangers exhaust gases are cooled to a low enough temperature that water vapor in gases condenses, giving the water heater its name.  The low exhaust temperature allows for the use of plastic venting and numerous installation options.

• Highly efficient
    - Reduces standby losses – eliminates exposed tank bottom and center flue
    - Extracts maximum heat from combustion gases for use in heating water
    - Costs less to operate due to increased efficiency
    - Recovers at a higher rate
•  Safer
    - Direct venting and use of outside combustion air keeps flue gases from entering occupied space
• Allows for use of lower temperature plastic venting
    - Combustion gases vented at lower temperature thru PVC piping

Tankless water heaters provide a continuous stream of hot water.  These units are energy conscious and fit well in commercial facilities.

Tankless continuous models
Tankless water heaters heat water on demand using a small heat exchanger and gas burner located in the unit.  As demand for water is sensed, the burner system will turn on to match the flow of water through the unit.  This eliminates heating and storing volumes of water in a tank for use at a later time.  Due to flow capacities, it is important that tankless water heaters be sized appropriately to your buildings needs.

• Heat water as required
• Never run out of water, continuous supply
• No downtime waiting for water heater to recover and be ready for use
• Multiple units for higher flow rates

Gas water heaters recover faster and produce more hot water than electric water heaters – at a lower cost.  Learn more by contacting your local Alagasco representative or call 1-800-292-4010.