Choosing a water heater is important for two reasons (a) Energy consumption and (b) Safety.
In this regard, The consumer voice magazine has done an independent testing through a lab. (They are doing such product testing under stringent controls and publish a magazine with the results.)
For those interested in the full survey, Please visit https://consumer-voice.org
Well, I am not a advertiser for this. But, The findings are important for all of us.
The highlights of the findings are as follows (I hope I am not violating any copyright law)
First, Select a storage type water heater as against instant - because of energy savings. Within Storage Type water heater, ’open-type’ is better for safety reasons, but requires a pipe to the roof.
Among the 10 brands of water heaters tested, The bad news is that none of them proved excellent in all 27 tests or atleast ranked ’best buy’. But they are some ’good buys’. they are Bajaj, Venus and Usha in rank 1, 2 and 3.
Surprisingly, Some of the MNC brands were worst.
Many water heaters cheat on the capacity. (25 litre heater will give you 22 litre only, for example). Their energy consumption is way too high. Their safety features are sub-average. One water heater burst during testing.
So, for a thumbrule, Select amongst the above 3 mentioned brands.
If you need specific details on the survey, Please do write to me. I will be happy to help you.