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Electric Tankless Water Heaters: Hidden Power Quality Challenges for Modern Grids
This white paper examines the significant impact electric tankless water heaters (TWHs) have on residential power quality. Through real-world data and analysis, it demonstrates how the high instantaneous power demands of TWHs can cause voltage sags, flicker, and transformer overloads, especially when multiple units are installed on the same distribution transformer. The paper also discusses mitigation strategies and compares TWHs with traditional electric water heaters, highlighting the unique challenges posed by the widespread adoption of TWHs.Key topics include:
- Introduction to Tankless Water Heaters
- Power Requirements and Load Characteristics
- Voltage Quality Impacts of TWHs
- Real-World Data and Analysis
- Mitigation Strategies for Voltage Problems
- Comparison: Traditional vs. Tankless Water Heaters
Why utilities should care:
Widespread adoption of electric tankless water heaters can lead to transformer overloads, voltage sags, and flicker, impacting service reliability and customer satisfaction. Understanding these effects is crucial for planning, infrastructure upgrades, and maintaining power quality standards.
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