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Best Electric Tankless Water Heaters Reviewed

There are very few things that annoy me more than running out of hot water during a shower.

As a busy mom I spend most of my days running after kids and taking care of my home and family.

One of the few times I get to myself is in the shower or tub, so when I get there I want to enjoy the experience for as long as I can.

And getting cold water instead of hot kills the experience.

I finally found the solution to the freezing shower: an electric tankless water heater.

This little wonder is a gift from God, as it lets me stay in the shower as long as I need without fear of frigid water. It was fairly easy to install (we replaced an older electric tank model), and relatively inexpensive. Honestly, I would happily have paid twice as much for all the warm relaxation it has added to my life.

And since I love to share our experiences here at The Creative Mama, we decided to do a roundup of the top tankless electric water heaters. Our goal was to save you time in researching a great solution, and to give you some of the warm happiness I have enjoyed since upgrading our heater.

We review each of the electric hot water heaters in detail below, but here is a quick comparison table for those of you in a hurry:

Best Electric Tankless Water Heaters

Since many people are discovering the advantages of tankless electric water heaters, more and more manufacturers are bringing new models to the market. We’ve combed through the latest models, and here are our picks for the best electric tankless water heaters:

1. EcoSmart ECO 36

Our top choice for best electric tankless water heater is the Eco 36 from EcoSmart. EcoSmart offers several different models in this line, with the ECO 36 being the largest.

It offers an endless stream of hot water at up to 6 gallons per minute, which means that shower can go on as long as your tired muscles require.

The unit features a digital temperature control that allows you to adjust the output in one degree increments. This means you can adjust it to be just right – warm enough for a steamy shower but not so hot it scalds your little ones.

As an on-demand heater it only works when you need it to, and doesn’t keep your electric meter spinning heating a tank of water when no one is home. That makes for a better experience in the shower, and also when the electric bill arrives each month.

If you are looking to dump your old tank water heater, the ECO 36 is the perfect unit for an upgrade.

2. Rheem RTEX-18 Residential

The runner-up in our roundup of tankless water heaters that run on electricity is the Rheem RTEX-18. Rheem is another well-respected brand of heater, and the RTEX-18 is one of their more popular models.

This heater provides on-demand hot water at the rate up to 4.4 gallons per minute. While that is less than the 6 gallons per minute from our top choice, it is more than enough for the typical household usage.

The Rheem unit is state of the art, and offers very simple digital controls that make adjusting the output water temperature a breeze. And compared to other units it simple to install, which means less work for you or a smaller bill from your installer.

The RTEX-18 also comes at a very competitive price, which makes it a good option for those of you on a tighter budget. Given that, along with the various features offered by Rheem, the RTEX-18 should be on your shortlist if you are planning to put in a new water heater.

3. Stiebel Eltron Tempra Plus

Our next choice in our guide to the best electric tankless water heaters is the Stiebel Eltron Tempra Plus. The Tempra Plus is the most expensive unit in our group, mainly due to the quality and features it offers.

The Tempra Plus is a whole-house unit, and is designed for maximum efficiency and minimum heat loss. That means you can be sure you are getting hot water when you need it, for as long as you need it.

The unit itself is very compact, so it doesn’t take up a lot of space when you install it. The design allows for near silent operation, so you won’t have to worry about annoying sounds coming from the heater whenever someone takes a shower. All you get is plenty of hot water.

If performance and engineering mean more to you than pinching pennies, the Tempra Plus is a great unit to consider.

4. Titan N-120

The fourth entry in our water heater review is the Titan N-120. While Titan doesn’t offer all the digital controls and name brand recognition of the other units in our roundup, it does offer what you really want – solid performance at an excellent.

The N-120 is roughly the size of a phone book, and can provide unlimited hot water for you and your family. And like the other heaters we reviewed it will provide a lower electric bill than standard water heater, as it only uses electricity when you are calling for hot water. That makes it a great choice for a home will intermittent use.

People who purchased the N-120 laud the unit’s longevity and performance, but do suggest you check the temperature of your incoming water supply, as very cold water will affect the outflow. And several pointed out that it does require a 60 amp breaker and proper wiring, so that could mean some added costs at installation.

But given the positive reviews and competitive price, the Titan N-120 is a good little heater.

5. Bosch Tronic 3000

The final entry in our review isn’t exactly an electric tankless water heater. Instead, we decided to include the Bosch Tronic 3000, which is a point-of-use mini-tank water heater. The reason why is that for specific situations it does what you want a tankless heater to do – give you hot water when you want it, where you want it.

Unlike the other heaters we looked at, the Tronic 3000 installs right where you want to use it – generally under a sink. Simply tap into the cold water line and install the water heater directly at the sink to provide hot water. If you have a sink in a remote location that takes forever for the water to get hot, the Tronic 3000 is a quick and simple solution to your problem.

The Bosch is visually appealing, and mounts easily with a bracket. And since it is a 110V device, you can simple plug it into a standard outlet. That means no electrician and no expensive installation costs.

So while the Bosch Tronic 3000 isn’t exactly an electric tankless water heater, it is such a handy device that we felt it deserved a spot in our lineup.

Installing An Electric Tankless Water Heater

In case you are wondering how difficult it is to install one of these heaters yourself, here is a good YouTube video outlining the process: