For those of you who don’t like to wait for your hot water, but do not want to be limited by a traditional tank water heater, I give you the Eternal Hybrid Water Heater. Bringing together the best of traditional and tank-less water heaters, the Eternal can supply instant and endless hot water. How does it do it? In traditional tank-less systems, slowing the flow of cold water through the system’s heat exchanger produces hot water. The result can be a frustrating lack of hot water pressure and the occasional cold-water shock as other faucets in the home are used for hot water. With the Eternal, the process is essentially the opposite—rather than slowing the flow of cold water that is to be heated, the system slows the exhaust of heat, so the energy transfer can happen faster and more efficiently. The result is no loss of pressure. And there are plenty of other nifty features, like an electronically controlled mixing valve that adjusts the temperature of the water when it exceeds the desired setting. There’s also a circulation pump that keeps the water in the system recirculating, to prevent sediment accumulation, and a dual-stage gas valve that will automatically stop the flow of gas in case of an emergency. A power-out memory feature automatically resets the system after any loss of power. There’s plenty more to the unit, but I’ll let you read up for yourself. The Eternal comes in three sizes and sells for about $2000 – $2500.

Eternal Water Heater