Monday, December 16 marked the day FUMC transition to a tankless, on-demand water heater system from a conventional water heater was complete. Trustees began considering replacement options last May when our service contractor informed us that our 100 gallon unit was well beyond the expected 10 year lifetime and could fail at any time.  In addition to replacement with a unit similar to what we had, we considered the feasibility of more energy-efficient options including a heat pump and tankless. The tankless system has a longer expected lifetime than conventional tanks and will generate hot water when we need it rather than continuously heating stored water. Contractors and Focus on Energy will not estimate energy cost savings, so Trustees and Green Team will need to evaluate natural gas usage over the next year to produce our own estimate. 

The conversion to a tankless system was made possible by supplementing the Trustees budget with a $7,500 contribution from Green Team, a $500 Focus on Energy incentive, and four generous donors.  These combined efforts demonstrate FUMC’s commitment to responsible stewardship of resources and walking the talk of caring for God’s creation. A big THANK YOU to everyone involved in this effort.