Office buildings looking to get LEED certified may want to think about the benefits they can achieve with an electric tankless water heater. Both water and energy efficiency are two of the five categories graded to award points, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a tankless water heater happens to fit the bill.

Improve energy efficiency, conserve water and keep your employees safe by installing an electric tankless water heater if your office building.

Energy efficient appliances are a win-win
Electric tankless water heaters are incredibly efficient compared to the competition. Storage water heaters suffer from standby heat loss, which wastes twice as much energy as necessary because the water stagnating in the tank eventually loses heat and has to be warmed again. Tankless water heaters forego the chamber and heat water directly through thermal optic sensors as it passes by into the pipe.

This means less energy is used for the exact same task. This is the type of energy efficiency needed to gain LEED certification, and office building owners would be wise to adapt during their next renovations.

The efficiency in energy use gained by upgrading to a tankless water heater spells reward for whoever pays the utility bill. The U.S. Department of Energy reported a tankless water heater could save at minimum $100 a year for a homeowner. That number quickly escalates for a building. The Environmental Protection Agency says the effects are even better – by upgrading appliances and adding water fixtures that help to conserve, homeowners can save $170. This number will be much higher for office buildings, which funnel nearly 78 percent of all water usage through a water heater, according to the EPA.

Just 1% of water in the world is drinkable.

Conserve water and save the world
No superhero is coming to give us more water – once it's gone, it's gone. According to the EPA, just 1 percent of the water on Earth is consumable, and electric tankless water heaters – in tandem with low-flow faucets – help to conserve as much water as possible.

How many times have you gone to wash your hands and kept the water running because it took longer than a few seconds to warm up? This is a waste that can be prevented two different ways:

• Electric tankless water heaters provide on-demand hot water, which eliminates the need to run the water longer than necessary.
• Low-flow faucet fixtures can reduce gallons-per-minute flow from 2 gpm to between 0.5 and 1 gpm, according to Code Green Houston.

It should be noted that water conservation is directly tied to energy efficiency in this case, meaning an office building can help to protect Earth's water supply while enjoying a handsome reward in the form of energy savings.

Water on-demand
Continuous hot water can be hard to come by with a storage water heater. If there's a lull in warm water use then the water in the tank can cool down considerably. This makes it increasingly difficult to maintain a steady supply of warm water in the office.

Electric tankless water heaters instantaneously provide hot water whenever it's needed – the reliability of the system is unparalleled. As water is called upon at the source, thermal optic sensors heats it as it passes though. The end result is the comfort of warm water, whenever an employee wants it.

By installing an electric tankless water heater under a sink in a bathroom, the system can provide an even quicker response time. This eliminates the length water has to travel, creating a more enjoyable situation for all involved and even helps to cut down the utility bill.

Ultimately the decision is clear. Electric tankless water heaters help office buildings achieve LEED certification, contribute to the environment and make warm water easier to come by with on-demand response time. Start enjoying continuous warm water by installing an electric tankless water heater today.