With winter around the corner and New Year's just two months away, many facility managers are considering ways to make their commercial facilities more sustainable while shrinking their budgets in 2016. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that the nation's commercial facilities, including restaurants, office buildings, commercial manufacturing and hotels, consume up 17 percent of the total the country's public water supply. With this in mind, it makes sense for commercial facility managers to target solutions for water waste during their next equipment upgrade investment.

Tankless electric water heaters are a smart choice for seeking to reduce water waste. There are plenty of benefits to adopting high-performance point-of-use water heating in a commercial setting, including 99 percent thermal efficiency, a big step up from traditional storage tanks. Keep reading for more info on why going tankless makes sense for businesses in the market for a reliable, long-term boost to water conservation.

Rampant commercial water waste emphasizes the need for tankless solutions.

Eliminating standby loss helps facilities save water
A major source of water waste that commonly goes overlooked in commercial facilities is standby loss. This waste occurs when building occupants at the facility's points-of-use turn the knob for hot water and are left standing by while heated water travels from the boiler to the bathroom. Depending on how many floors and bathrooms are connected to the building's central plumbing, several gallons of water could be wasted every time a visitor or employee washes their hands.

Tankless water heaters are ideally installed within close proximity of points-of-use. Using this configurations, facility managers can eliminate standby loss completely – water is only heated by the tankless model when it is actually needed.

Extended lifespan offers energy saving performance without leak risks
Facility managers in all industries can appreciate machinery with a long, reliable service life. High-performance tankless water heaters come with service life guarantees of over 20 years. One of the major reasons that tankless water heaters are able to operate so well without replacement is because they are not connected to a reservoir. Eliminating the tank from the design also eliminates the risk of costly water leaks, as there is no risk of scale minerals damaging the interior of the tank and allowing water to flow freely into your facility.

Compact design helps to minimize installation costs
The National Institute of Building Sciences recommended upgrading plumbing technology to address inefficiencies in commercial spaces. Going tankless isn't the only way to reduce water waste inside a commercial facility, but it is certainly one of the most space-effective. Tankless water heaters are a fraction of the size of standard heaters, allowing them to be installed just about anywhere. Floor space is a dire necessity for many commercial facilities, especially for businesses short on storage. Swapping out the old water heater for a tankless replacement could free up a considerable amount of space in storage rooms or basements.

Additionally, the small size of tankless water heaters allows companies to dodge some extra expenses. First and foremost, going tankless ensures that facility managers are never blindsided by the task of installing a heater that's too large for the facility. Considering that most water heaters, excluding high-performance tankless heaters, are going up in price and size, it's likely that retrofits won't be possible without costly remodels to account for their extra size.

The larger the facility, the more water must be heated to fill bathrooms, sinks and other points-of-use throughout the building. As facility managers plan around additional expansion, going tankless offers a cost-effective alternative than attempting to find a central heating strategy powerful enough to deliver hot water across multiple building.