Several home builders Tampa Bay are seeing green when they turn on the water faucets because they are moving away from traditional water tanks to tankless water heaters.  These tankless water heaters are the latest boost in thermal energy efficiency going from 60 percent for a hot water tank to a whopping 85 percent for the tankless water heaters.  And they almost guarantee the end of the cold showers because of lack of hot water.

These tankless water heaters not only help a new home boost their thermal efficiency, they also help to lower energy bills while helping the environment as well.  Tankless water heaters provide one-third to one-half the power of a traditional water heater yet they still provide an endless stream of heated water.

Asbel Creek area homes are using the tankless water heaters, which cost $650-$1,800 per unit – double the traditional water heaters costs – however they are eligible for various federal, state or local energy-efficient rebates to help offset the costs of being environmentally conscious.

Many of these tankless water heaters can weigh up to 600 pounds, which introduces structural issues in some new construction cases. But these new solar water heaters can heat up to 40 gallons of water to 160 degrees making these tankless water systems the ideal energy efficient complement to any new home construction.

Just as with any other green building systems or green initiatives, the energy savings is initially offset by the cost of installation which can run upwards of $5,000.  But about 40 percent where approximately $2,000 of the installation cost may be returned to the homeowner because it is covered by a taxable rebate for energy efficient homebuilding.

Depending on what neighborhood a homebuilder is constructing a new home in, cost is usually a concern. Added features that improve energy efficiency may be attractive to the homeowner but are they enough to overcome the barrier imposed by cost?

This is where the government tax incentives can make a big difference in selling new home buyers on green housing.