An article from The New York Times reported that schools in Queens benefited from an initiative to reduce water waste by upgrading bathroom fixtures. The schools chose to focus on bathroom improvements because this point-of-use is a common source of water waste. Educational facilities across the country, from high schools to pre-schools, can benefit from upgrades like new tankless water heaters. Going tankless can help schools simultaneously lower burn risks for their students as well. Read on to learn more about this cost-saving, injury-preventing technology.

Point-of-use approach saves resources
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that schools countrywide can minimize their spending on water by replacing aging appliances with new, energy-efficient replacements. Tankless water heaters, for instance, feature 99 percent thermal efficiency. These sustainable appliances are able to convert nearly all of the school's water heating bill directly into hot water, compared to the 65 percent thermal efficiency found in traditional storage tanks. Schools are able to then maximize those savings by employing a point-of-use strategy for efficient water heating.

Bathrooms on school campuses are relatively spread out and the bigger the school, the more of an issue this becomes. Attempting to deliver hot water to these bathrooms by way of a central water heater is sure to contribute to standby loss as kids and faculty wait for hot water to travel to their bathrooms. Tankless hot water heaters are compact enough to fit nearly any bathroom space; schools can eliminate standby loss completely by installing an on-demand electric tankless model near each point-of-use on campus.

The right water heater keeps kids as safe as possible.

Built-in compliance reduces burn risks
Water waste isn't the only problem that school administrators risk when they overlook timely heater replacement. Aging, unreliable water heaters can contribute to burn risks in students as well. The Burn Foundation warned that 500,000 scald burns occur each year, and that younger school-age children make up one of the demographics that are most vulnerable to these types of injuries. Without a water heater with improved performance and temperature controls, schools are more likely to put their students at risk for these types of burns.

Regulations outlined by OSHA and ANSI require all sources of tepid water, such as a bathroom sink, to delivered controlled and comfortable water temperatures. Safe water heating – nearly 20 percent of child scald burn hospitalizations are caused by simple tap water. Schools can comply with these rules by having a compliant temperature control device installed to their current plumbing system. However, this solution will increase the complexity of the building's infrastructure and could actually hinder attempts to make water use more efficient. High-end on-demand models have these temperature controls built into their mechanics, so schools can resolve compliance issues by simply going tankless.