Selecting the appropriate commercial water heater for your Columbine business necessitates careful thought about several key factors. The first is to estimate the quantity of hot water your establishment requires, which is largely dependent on the type and size of your business. A busy restaurant or a hotel with many guest rooms, for example, will have a 2 demand for much larger commercial water heaters than the kind needed in a small office building. And just as critical is to figure out exactly how much hot water your business needs and when it needs it. Inadequate supply during peak times can bring everything to a halt (or at least to a simmer). Assessing your water usage patterns is foundational to the whole enterprise of arriving at an efficient and reliable solution.
The energy source for your commercial water heater is something else to consider. At Columbine, we have access to several energy options, including natural gas, electricity, and even solar energy, which we can discuss with you as potential sources to power your water heater. Each of these options has its own cost factors, availability in our area, and environmental impact, and within each category, there are different choices we can make. For example, natural gas is often the most cost-effective choice to power commercial water heaters, which is why so many of our clients go in that direction. Still, electric units make a lot of sense at times, especially in smaller or more spread-out operations where it might be difficult to run gas lines. Then there's the potential for using solar power, which in some situations offers a mostly free way to heat your water and a solid long-term payback.
When choosing a water heater for your commercial business in Columbine, don't neglect the installation and maintenance side of things. These are just as important as the upfront cost when considering the life cycle of your water heater and your facility's budget.
The number and type of maintenance tasks you'll need to do over the life of your water heater directly affect how much you'll spend. Some models require a lot of attention, while others are very low maintenance. A maintenance plan can help your heater work more effectively for longer. If you also consider how much the maintenance tasks themselves will cost you, that can influence which heater you choose.
And then, of course, there's the cost of unexpected repairs or replacements. A good warranty can cover you here.