I was thinking of switching over to a tankless water heater. A friend of mine said they are not good in colder climates since the water coming in is colder and takes longer to heat. Is this a valid concern, or are these things designed to deal with this type of thing?
Plumbing – Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates
energy efficiencyplumbingwater-heater
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Best Answer
Tankless heaters are rated by the amount they raise the temperature of the water at a specific flow rate (and as the flow goes higher, the amount they raise the temperature is lower), for example:
Basically, the lower your incoming water temperature, the larger a unit you need to get. Sizing is also dependent on the number and types of simultaneous consumers of hot water (eg, being able to run two showers at once requires a larger size than is needed for just a kitchen sink).
This manufacturer site shows incoming temperatures in North America, and helps provide sizing information based on their models.
Anecdotaly, I know virtually all new construction I've seen around Ontario for the past couple years (including Ottawa, Ontario) uses tankless heaters.
Resource: http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/