Instant water heater or boiler

How much electricity consumption in kwh do you actually have? That seems very, very high to me, it can hardly be the case that this is only due to the boiler. For comparison: we also live as a couple and currently heat our hot water with an instantaneous water heater. We have a consumption of 3000 kwh per year. This includes two fairly fast PCs that are also on almost all day and, of course, the entire hot water including a pressure boosting system, which also runs on heavy current. Our monthly payment is currently 40 euros, whereas we only have to buy an additional 1900 kwh per year. That works well for us without any additional payments. So a monthly payment of 155 euros then indicates almost four times that. That would be almost 8000 kwh per year. I can't imagine that this is only due to the boiler, but it certainly makes sense to replace it with an instantaneous water heater. That would certainly be about 500 euros in costs (including installation), but given the electricity consumption, the investment should pay off within a year. The instantaneous water heater produces hot water immediately, and you can set it to the exact temperature needed, so the endless turning and readjusting at the taps is no longer necessary, because quite a bit of water runs through before you finally get the right temperature. Now you simply turn on hot water and (for us) the water comes out at half a degree exactly at the temperature you want. I would still look for other power guzzlers, though, because they are definitely there.

I had 6420 kW in 2014 and so far it is 5420 kW. Certainly, the very old fridge and freezer as well as the washing machine are also factors, but new appliances are simply not an option. Otherwise, I live very sparingly, rarely cook to save stove electricity. I only turn on the TV in the evening, the only thing running from noon until I go to bed is the PC. Lamps have been replaced with energy-saving bulbs wherever possible.

Are you sure that nobody else is connected to your line and using electricity?

We need about 3000kwh per year with 2 refrigerators, 2 freezers, 2 washing machines, dryer, dishwasher and pool pump in summer or heating pump in winter. In addition, usual consumers (PCs, TVs, receivers, etc.). However, complete lighting is based on LED. Your consumption seems extremely high to me.

Regards Sylvia

Good evening,

My husband passed away 4 weeks ago

My sincere condolences; I wish you strength to bring something like normality back into your everyday life.

and I urgently need to reduce my electricity costs. At the moment, I pay a 155€ advance payment just for myself, and I simply can no longer afford that.

Here I would pick up Silvia’s suggestion and have the advance payment reduced; especially since the advance was charged for two people. Possibly aids were involved that are no longer necessary?

I live in a small old house and currently I have a very old 200-liter boiler here that probably consumes a huge amount of electricity.

That is likely, but it alone does not explain the high advance payment.

I just checked; we consume fewer kWh/year and certainly have more devices running daily than you do. In addition to the usual household devices, we operate 2 complete offices with everything that goes with them.

What would you recommend to me, a tankless water heater or an 80-liter boiler? Money is scarce, so I cannot consider other measures.

I would advise you to go for the tankless water heater; they are – in older buildings – better/cheaper than their reputation. But I would also consult the ARGE regarding grants and electricity costs. What do you have to lose? Hardly more than a "no" ;)

Good luck!

Rhenish regards

Thank you for your kind words and valuable tips. So, the job center does not pay a subsidy; maybe they cover a tankless water heater or boiler, but without installation costs, and I cannot afford those. Or rather, boiler connections are already there, I can just plug it in differently. With a tankless water heater, it looks different, as you need certain wiring, right? Maybe I can find instructions on the internet so I can manage it myself.

Aids were not activated, so electrically everything stays the same except for fewer showers; one television will be gone. But that is all.

I do not dare to lower the advance payment because if I then had a back payment, the electricity would be cut off because I could not pay it.

How can I find out if someone else is using my electricity? When I turn off the main switch, the meter does not run, I have already tried that. Is there another way to test it?

I would connect a consumption meter to the large appliances and let it count for a while what the refrigerator etc. consumes. Such a meter is not that expensive, you can also borrow it from [Verbraucherzentralen] if I am correctly informed, probably in the village that is somewhat more difficult depending on the situation.