Rinnai North America

According to the Department of Energy, “water heating represents between thirteen and seventeen percent of residential energy consumption, making it the third largest energy end use in homes.” There is a dramatic difference in energy efficiency between storage tanks and Rinnai’s gas-powered tankless water heating technology. Storage tank Energy Factors (EF) average 59% - 62%. Gas-powered tankless EF’s average 80+% (some up to 87%), a gain of 35%. The platform for energy savings is dramatic. 10 million storage tank heaters are sold yearly. 5.2 million are gas-powered using approximately 1.23 billion Therms annually at an EF of .59-.62. Convert those to Rinnai units with an EF of .80-.82, and the country would save 291 million Therms annually. At an average cost of $1.07/Therm*, that equates to $311 million in energy savings. Convert the 60 million gas-powered tank heaters currently in use with an EF of less than 60%, and the country would save 3.4 billion Therms generating $3.7 billion in energy savings. For gas users (52% of the U.S.), moving to high-efficiency(.82 EF) tankless water heaters would reduce residential gas consumption from 25% to 17%, reduce total gas use nationwide by 1.9% and reduce LNG imports by 66%. A study commissioned by Rinnai and conducted by ConSol, a leading energy consulting firm, titled “Energy Conservation for California Builders” found that if every home in California used a tankless water heater instead of a tank heater, the state could reduce the demand for natural gas by 18 million Therms, which is equivalent to conserving two months worth of gas use for all new homes built in California annually, and save 132 million gallons of water because Rinnai units start making hot water within 3-5 seconds after a hot water tap is opened, and the unit’s compact size allows it to be centrally located in a home eliminating long plumbing runs. With rapid hot water development and no long plumbing runs, a Rinnai can save an estimated 1,000 gallons of water per household yearly. With 1.5 million new homes built annually, this equates to 1.5 billion gallons of water saved per year in new home construction alone. The benefits extend beyond the home. Municipalities would see electricity savings from not having to sanitize and pump perfectly good water that is just not at the right temperature, and then treat the same perfectly good water as sewage when it goes down the drain. *http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/brochure/oil_gas/natgas06/natgas.html

In addition to energy efficiency and water conservation gains, the environmental benefits of tankless are substantial. Rinnai units are low NOx (<40ppm), low noise (<48dB) and an enormous relief on our nation’s landfills. 7.5 million tank heaters are discarded yearly. Rinnai units are 1/5th the size of a storage tank and last twice as long. A storage tank heater lasts between 8-13 years and weighs approximately 130 lbs. at time of disposal. A Rinnai unit lasts 20+ years and weighs 45 lbs. at time of disposal (a majority of Rinnai’s componentry can be recycled.) The reduction on landfill load from eliminating storage tanks is approximately 600 million lbs. over ten years, which is equivalent to keeping nearly 13,000 SUVs out of landfills. A tank heater is also a big source of CO2 emissions because of the standing pilot light. A 50 gallon gas-powered water tank with an EF of .58 generates more than 3,100 lbs. of CO2 emissions annually. An indoor-mounted Rinnai unit produces 2,271 lbs. of CO2 annually, a reduction of 27.5%. Replacing the 5.2 million gas-powered storage water tanks sold yearly with tankless water heaters could eliminate 4.4 billion pounds of CO2, which is equal to eliminating a third of the CO2 emissions created by SUVs on U.S. roads every year. If the 60 million U.S. homes converted to tankless, the nation would eliminate 51.7 billion pounds of CO2 annually.

Rinnai has worked tirelessly to educate consumers about the benefits of its direct vent, sealed combustion tankless technology:

• Live-endorsement sponsorships with talk radio hosts including Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michael Reagan, Bill O’Reilly, and The Oprah and Friends show on XM satellite radio, and by virtue of AirTran carrying XM Satellite Radio, Rinnai is the first tankless water heater promoted at 35,000 feet!

• Rinnai’s website, www.foreverhotwater.com, generates more than 1.8 million monthly page views (up from an average of 220,000 in 2005), with an average visit having more 13 page views and lasting approximately 10 minutes. In three years, foreverhotwater.com moved from page 20 to page 1 on a Google search for "tankless water heaters” providing further validation of consumer demand for Rinnai’s technology.

• In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, last year Rinnai donated $1 million worth of tankless water heaters to aid Habitat’s building efforts in 40 states including the Gulf-region as part of Habitat’s Builder Blitz program, during which hundreds of homes housing more than 1,000 people were constructed in one week. Rinnai also powered mobile hot water systems that were deployed by FEMA in Katrina-stricken regions.

• Product showcases in the National Association of Homebuilders’ display homes at the International Builder Show for four straight years, The Sunset Magazine Idea House, and on episodes of ABC’s Extreme Make Over: Home Edition as well as PBS’ This Old House and Bob Vila’s nationally syndicated show, At Home With Bob Vila.

• Rinnai was recognized in February 2007 by Builder Magazine as the most requested product of all building products by their subscribers headlining the magazine’s Builder Top 50 list for a third consecutive year, an unprecedented feat.

• The Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) named the Rinnai its “coolest” product in new home construction in 2004 and bestowed the same award to Rinnai’s digital control pad technology in 2005.

• Rinnai has worked with natural gas and propane companies nationwide to help drive tankless adoption, and supported organizations including the ASE in their efforts to promote the use of energy efficient technologies. Those efforts culminated in the passage of a $300 federal tax credit toward the purchase of high-efficiency water heaters, such as Rinnai, as part of the 2005 Epact Energy Bill.

• “Atlanta Gas Light is a strong supporter of tankless water heating technology like Rinnai. Our customers want to make smart energy choices, and with Rinnai they get a superior quality, energy efficient technology without having to sacrifice anything from a lifestyle standpoint. Rinnai delivers endless hot water plus significant monthly savings on our customers’ water heating expenses. Our customers love the idea of never taking a cold shower again without the high energy bill.” Donna Peeples, Vice President, Marketing for Atlanta Gas Light Company.

• Rinnai has educated key staff at the DOE and the ASE on the benefits of tankless water heating, contributing to the DOE’s decision in February 2007 to announce an ENERGY STAR program for residential water heating.

• Rinnai introduced its tankless water heater technology in the U.S. in 1999, and has since developed a network of 1,900 wholesale locations and has provided free technical training to more than 43,000 installers nationwide. Rinnai’s market development strategy and dedication to proper installation has resulted in a 10x growth rate between 2002-2006 leading to more than 120,000 units sold in 2006 alone.

• While solar, wind and alternative fuel technologies offer the hope of saving energy in the future if millions of investment dollars prove successful and the technology is widely adopted, Rinnai IS energy-saving technology that can be implemented nation-wide TODAY.