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  best tankless water heater Bosch Aquastar Tankless Water Heater 1600H bosch aquastar water heater bosch tankless water heater 2400es Electric Tankless Water Heaters energy saving tips Energy Star Environment gas tankless water heaters heating water Takagi takagi. noritz Takagi heater Takagi T-H1 Tankless Water Heaters

I found this January 2009 press release from Takagi noteworthy not only because four of their residential units and one of their commercial heaters now have Energy Star status -- but also because they made this news into a press release. Sign of the times! Actually, they seem like one of the more ecological  companies in this field, and here is a page on their website where they say how eco-friendly they are, in quite a variety of ways. -- Lou

Five of Takagi's Highly Efficient Tankless Water Heaters Receive ENERGY STAR Status

Irvine, Calif. – (For Immediate Release)
Takagi announced today that in addition to being a proud partner of ENERGY STAR through their first ever residential water heater program, five of Takagi’s tankless water heaters will receive the prestigious ENERGY STAR rating on January 1st, 2009, marking them as some of the most energy efficient products to have in a home. Those receiving that honor are Takagi’s T-K3, T-K3-OS, T-K3-SP, T-H1 (residential heaters) and T-K3-Pro (light commercial heater).

ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that encourages individuals and businesses to save money and protect the environment by using energy efficient products and practices. Products carrying the ENERGY STAR label are considered to have superior energy efficiency having met the strictest energy efficiency guidelines set by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

For the residential water heater program and in order to receive its Energy Star rating, Takagi’s units had to meet a minimum energy factor of 0.82, meaning it had to have a thermal efficiency of 82% for either natural gas or liquid propane.

Takagi’s revolutionary T-H1 had no problems meeting this guideline as it currently maintains one of the highest efficiency rating in the industry with an energy factor of 0.94 for liquid propane and 0.92 for natural gas, while The T-K3, T-K3-OS, T-K3-SP and T-K3-Pro all featured energy factors within the 0.82 and 0.86 range.

In addition to the company’s new achievement, Takagi is excited to report that according to the ENERGY STAR website, all ENERGY STAR-qualified whole-home gas tankless water heaters, like Takagi’s five units, will qualify for the 2009 federal tax credit that gives homeowners up to $300 for installing a highly energy efficient water heater. However, ENERGY STAR-qualified high-efficiency tank-type water heaters will not qualify for the tax credit....

About Energy Star

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, created in 1992 to help consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

For more information, please visit www.energystar.gov.

About Takagi

Having made tankless water heaters for more than half a century in Japan and more than a decade in the United States, Takagi has built a legacy of innovation and dependability with its tankless water heating technology. Takagi provides the U.S. water heating industry with energy efficient tankless water heaters that exceed anything else on the market today. Takagi’s famous line includes six revolutionary tankless water heaters, of which its award winning T-H1 proudly maintains one of the highest energy factor rating in the industry. Takagi’s units are also the only ones of its kind to receive the Southern Coast Air Quality management District (SCAQMD) approval for their low emissions of CO2 and NOx. Takagi is dedicated to creating valuable products that will keep up with the market’s constantly changing demands and continuously bring comfort to people’s homes.

For more information, please contact Takagi USA at (888) 882-5244, or visit us on the web at www.takagi.com.

The Takagi T-H1 water heater is one of their newest models and certainly their greenest – its average efficiency is an impressive 95% with propane and 92% with natural gas. It is meant to meet the needs of just about any large family as Takagi states, "The T-H1 can provide at least three showers' worth of water simultaneously along with one appliance at input temperature of 60ºF or greater." This does mean that in colder places in the winter, where the incoming water will be below 60 degrees, that you might have to get by with only two showers and another use!

Where you live does make quite a difference in the flow rate that any tankless water heater can deliver. With this one, for instance, let's say that you have the hot water output set at 120 degrees. If the incoming water is 60ºF then you can expect about 6.1 gallons per minute. In contrast, if that incoming water is 40ºF or less, your  flow rate would likely be about 4.3 GPM – a significant difference, but still a lot of hot water! And under ideal conditions, this water heater can put out over 10 gallons a minute.

I mentioned an output setting. The T-H1 has four preset temperatures: 113ºF, 122ºF, 140ºF, and 182ºF.  If those don't suit your needs for some reason, there is an add-on  temperature controller available.

This is more than just a home unit. It can be used in small businesses and industries. That's why there is the very hot 182ºF water setting; sometimes codes require water that hot for sanitary applications.

The gas input is variable, with the maximum being 199,000 BTU per hour. This will require some good-sized gas pipes to the unit. It then uses two heat exchangers rather than the more ordinary one, and this is how Takagi achieved the unusually high average efficiencies. As explained on their website, "Takagi has added a stainless steel secondary heat exchanger to recover waste heat from the vent stack before it leaves the unit to preheat the incoming ground water. This second heat exchanger and the resulting condensation that forms from the high efficiency operation, classify it as a "Condensing" Water Heater. The condensate that these types of heaters produce can be slightly acidic, so it's collected and sent through a built-in neutralizer, allowing for disposal into standard drainpipe."

If any units of the Takagi water heater T-H1 are currently at eBay, they should show up here:

The T-K3

The  Takagi heater T-K3 is a very small tankless water heater — at 13.8 inches wide, it can fit between wall studs. It is also small another good way – it is able to activate at only one half a gallon per minute, which means that less water is wasted than with many units of various brands. This also helps with temperature stability.

It can be installed in several ways – as a direct vent model for indoors, with a vent pipe up to 50 feet with 5 elbows.  You have a choice of eight different temperature settings, ranging from 104 degrees F all the way up to 185.

It can be used  in parallel with up to three other units to generate more flow. This makes the water heater suitable for commercial applications.

There are two variations on the T-K3:

The T-K3-SP

Here SP means something: special projects. This model, which first came out in 2008, is meant for light residential use. It has a built-in power venting system which you attach to the appropriate venting. It can start heating water at .5 gallons per minute and has a maximum flow rate of 7 gallons per minute. Its four temperature settings range from 113 to 167 degrees F.  Unlike other Takagi models, the T-K3-SP cannot be linked, nor is it direct vent convertible.

The T-K3-OS

The T-K3-OS model is the outdoor model, designed for use out of doors. Its the same small size as the other T-K3 heaters, and like them it weighs only 40 pounds. Since it is only installable outside, it is meant for milder climates. It does have a power venting system built in, but this doesn't need to be attached to further venting. Its thermal rating is 83% for both natural gas (NG) and propane (LP). Like the SP model above, it has four temperature settings ranging from 113 to 167 degrees.

Takagi tankless water heaters are popular with buyers on eBay. Here are some listings:

A Takagi heater can be a good choice for a tankless hot water heater. Four of their residential models qualify for the Energy Star designation of the US Department of Energy and thus also for the US federal income tax credit of up to 30% of your cost -- that is not only a percentage of what you pay for a Takagi heater but also the cost of the installation.

To me, when a company has several of their product line meeting Energy Star standards, it warrants my attention. The models that qualify are the ones I will describe here. Some of their older models don't qualify but may be good choices too, if their energy efficiency isn't much less. (I saw a lot of favorable comments online from owners of the older T-K2.)

• TAKAGI T-K3: This small unit weighs 40 pounds and is 13.8 inches wide so it can fit between studs. It starts heating water at .5 GPM (gallons per minute), and it comes with eight temperature settings from 104 degrees F all the way up to 185.
• TAKAGI T-K3-OS: This is the outdoor variation of the T-K3, suitable for warmer climates.
• TAKIGI T-K3-SP: this unit is for smaller residential situations.
• TAKIGI T-H1: The T-H1 is extremely energy efficient, and is meant for large houses.

Installation of a Takagi Heater

An employee of Takagi demonstrates how to install a Takagi heater. Since installation is so crucial to customer satisfaction with any tankless water heater, this is a good thing to explain.

And here is a selection of Takagi heaters currently on eBay:

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