LESLIE: Alright, Mary in Texas is having an issue with a water heater and I think wants to replace it. How can we help?
MARY: I have an electric water heater right now that I want to replace and I would like to have a tankless electric hot water heater but someone told me that gas was better.
TOM: Yes, gas is much better. Now, is that a possibility for you? Do you have access to natural gas or propane?
MARY: I have gas just on the heating system.
TOM: Oh, well then you definitely want to use a gas tankless water heater. You ought to take a look at the water heaters by Rheem – R-h-e-e-m. They are excellent and you can find one that’s very, very efficient.
The reason you can’t have an electric tankless water heater is because it’s a whole different way of heating water and you’ll use way too much electricity to do that. Now …
LESLIE: It’ll be expensive.
TOM: Right. There is actually a system for people that only have electric.
LESLIE: But it’s like a heat pump system, correct?
TOM: Yeah, it’s the HP-50. Rheem has a unit called the HP-50; super-energy-efficient. It’s a heat pump/water heater combination unit that’s super-efficient. It meets all of the Energy Star guidelines and it’s eligible for federal tax credits as well if you buy one. So if you just have electric, you would go with something like the HP-50 but, if not, I would definitely use one of the gas-fired tankless units because I think you’re going to be very, very happy with it.
MARY: OK. This Rheem is not tankless, then.
LESLIE: No, Rheem is tankless.
TOM: No, they have (chuckles) – yeah. Mary, they have tankless water heaters and they have the heat pump water heaters.
MARY: Yeah.
TOM: They have all kinds of water heaters, so you take your pick.
MARY: OK. Alright, thank you.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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