If you’re a first-time homeowner, brace yourself. There are so many big-ticket purchases that you’ll have to make. One of them? Choosing between an electric or gas water heater since it’ll pretty much affect your household’s daily routine.
Instant water heater
Growing up, I had an instant water heater installed in my childhood home. The unit came with a handheld shower. While there were four of us living under the same roof, we had to queue for the bathroom. It was a hardy and durable device. From what I can remember, each instant water heater served us 10 years of use.
In order to save electricity, the water heater had to switched off at all times – and only switched on just before we hopped into the shower. The only qualm I had using an instant water heater was that I often forgot to switch it on/off. Oops!
Gas water heater
Later, I moved into a resale HDB flat that came with an exiting gas water heater. It was functioning alright, and neatly tucked away in the service yard – why not? We kept it.
If you’re not familiar with gas water heaters, they do come with two hot water outlets for the two bathrooms in the house. However, eight years of use had this gas heater wonky – it stopped supplying hot water after producing loud beeping sounds one day. We got the unit replaced, and all was fine again.
There are three main type of water heaters in Singapore. Click here to jump to the bottom of the page to read about them.
Now that you understand the basics of water heaters in Singapore, here are the 10 best water heaters:
10 Best Water Heaters in Singapore
| Water Heater | Price | Warranty |
| Mistral Instant Shower Heater | $69 | 1 year onsite warranty, 1 year warranty on internal spare parts, and 5 years warranty on heating element |
| Trentios IntelliHeat Zenith T1 Smart Instant Water Heater | $150 | 10 years warranty on heating element |
| Toshiba Instant Water Heater | $159 | 1 year warranty on electrical parts, and 8 years warranty on heating elements |
| Champs A15 Pro Storage Water Heater | $168 | 2 years warranty on parts, and 5 years warranty on tank |
| Macro Gas Water Heater | $200 | – |
| Ariston Aures Luxury Round Instant Water Heater | $219 | 1 year warranty on parts, and 5 years warranty on heating elements. |
| 707 Dalton 15 Storage Water Heater | $228 | 2 years warranty on parts and service, and 5 years warranty on tank |
| Rubine Matrix 15L Storage Water Heater | $239 | 1 year of warranty on parts, 5 years warranty on heating elements, and 7 years warranty on inner tank |
| Rheem EHG Slim Smart Wifi Electric Storage Water Heater | $360 | 3 years warranty |
| Macro Smart Gas Water Heater | $490 | – |
Mistral Instant Shower Heater MSH303i, $69
First up, here’s a budget-friendly and cheap instant shower heater set by Mistral. At $69, you will be getting basic white design, handheld shower with handlebar, as well as a soap dish tray.
Equipped with anti-scalding and IP25 splash-proof features, you can expect a safe and reliable showering experience. Additionally, you will also be able to enjoy the multi-massage spray sensation using the handheld shower that comes with Mistral instant shower heater MSH303.
Warranty: 1 year onsite warranty, 1 year warranty on internal spare parts, and 5 years warranty on heating element
Mistral Instant Shower Heater MSH303i is priced from $69 on Shopee.
Trentios IntelliHeat Zenith T1 Smart Instant Water Heater, $150
Cleverly designed with water saving features in mind, the Zenith T1 by Trentios is a compact and smart instant water heater with dual heating elements, stainless steel heating tank, and a digital LED touchscreen interface that works in wet conditions.
You are able to set water limits, as well as track your water and electricity consumption. Additionally, the showerhead provided in the set also helps to save water by optimising the maximum spray area.
Warranty: 10 years warranty on heating element
Trentio IntelliHeat Zenith T1 Smart Instant Water Heater is on sale from $150 on Buy Aircon.
Toshiba Instant Water Heater DSK33ES5S, $159
This instant water heater set will sit well in a modern and contemporary home. You get to choose between black and white, and the heater unit is pretty minimalist.
The digital temperature display shows you what’s the current temperature of the water, and an in-built ELCB (earth-leakage circuit breaker) safety device prevents electric shock accidents from happening.
Finally, the handheld shower comes with five spray patterns. Pretty neat for a hundred bucks, huh?
Warranty: 1 year warranty on electrical parts, and 8 years warranty on heating elements
Toshiba Instant Water Heater DSK33ES5S comes in black or white from $159 on Mega Discount Store.
Champs A15 Pro Storage Water Heater, $168
For those of you who plan to install a rain shower, storage water heaters are best for you. This Champs A15 Pro storage water heater is a good and cheap option. Its 15-litre water tank capacity is sufficient to supply water for just one or two showers, making the Champs A15 water heater most suitable for small households. As it is pretty compact, you won’t have to worry about the storage heater taking up too much ceiling space.
Champs A15 Pro comes with a sapphire-coated enamel tank to ensure resistance to corrosion. For larger households, there’s also a 30-litre iteration of this very same water heater.
Warranty: 2 years warranty on parts, and 5 years warranty on tank
Champs A15 Pro Storage Water Heater is on sale from $168 on Shopee.
Macro Gas Water Heater MA-8NFL, $200
If you prefer a gas water heater, the Macro MA-8NFL is a decent basic gas water heater. This gas heater unit is operated via two D Size batteries, and comes with a manual heating system (you’ll have to turn the two flame and burner knobs to control the temperature).
While you can theoretically lay hot water pipes from your gas water heater to all your bathrooms, do note that some gas water heaters are not able to supply hot water to both bathrooms simultaneously.
Warranty: –
Macro Gas Water Heater MA-8NFL is retailing at $200 from City Energy.
Ariston Aures Luxury Round Instant Water Heater RT33, $219
Innovatively and beautifully designed in a modern, circular shape by an Italian art designer, the Ariston Aures Luxury Round has been awarded for its good design in 2017 by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.
This instant water heater comes with 3 pre-set shower temperatures, and it is also able to keep the temperature constant and stable throughout the shower – the latter which can help to save up to 16.4 per cent of energy (certified by PSB Singapore).
Warranty: 1 year warranty on parts, and 5 years warranty on heating elements.
Ariston Aures Luxury Round Instant Water Heater is selling at $219 on Gain City.
707 Dalton 15 Storage Water Heater, $228
Here’s a water heater by 707, a Singaporean water heater brand. The 707 Dalton storage water heater’s tank comes in a white rounded cuboid. Within this modest exterior is a dependable heating unit equipped with protective systems.
The durable blue enamel-coated tank comes with heating elements and safety features like IPX4 splash-proof safety standard, and automatic thermal cut-off (whenever the water temperature reaches unsafe levels).
Warranty: 2 years warranty on parts and service, and 5 years warranty on tank.
707 Dalton Storage Water Heater retails from $228 on Shopee.
Rubine Matrix 15L Storage Water Heater, $267
The Rubine Matrix Storage Heater comes with a textured, diamond-facet design in full black or white. As storage water heater’s tank is a nifty 15 litres, you can consider hiding/ concealing it under your sink.
For larger households, opt for the 30-litre tank iteration of the same model.
Some in-built features include a durable titanium enamel-coated water tank that can withstand high temperatures, a thick PU insulation and fairwater sleeve for lesser thermal transmission losses, and an SGS-certified anti-bacterial water inlet material.
Warranty: 1 year of warranty on parts, 5 years warranty on heating elements, and 7 years warranty on inner tank.
Rubine Matrix 15L Storage Water Heater comes in black or white, and retails from $267 on Lightings.
Rheem EHG Slim Smart Wifi Electric Storage Water Heater, $360
Smart home enthusiasts will love this smart Wi-Fi-enabled storage water heater by Rheem. You can get real-time notifications whenever the operating status changes on you water heater. Other smart features include a smart-eco mode which optimizes the heater’s performance through learning about your showering habits, as well as a timer mode that enables scheduling of the water heater’s power to on/off.
Standing at a large 25-litre, the tank comes equipped with incoloy heating elements and takes approximately 22 minutes to heat up 25°C water to 60°C. Additionally, the Rheem EHG storage heater comes with CFC-free polyurethane foam, and its sleeve is coated with epoxy to keep water hot for hours.
Warranty: 3 years warranty
Rheem EHG Slim Smart Wifi Electric Storage Water Heater retails from $360 on Shopee.
Macro Smart Gas Water Heater MA-10WFE, $490
The Macro MA-10WFE smart gas water heater can be controlled via the dedicated mobile app, where you’ll also be able to find data about your household’s water usage. The LCD screen comes with digital temperature controls and this gas water heater comes with a 230 VAC power supply.
Your family does not have to fight over who baths first as you get two points of hot water supply that works simultaneously. You can feel protected and at ease knowing that this gas water heater has been incorporated with 25 safety features, as well as tested to EN26 standards.
Warranty: –
Macro Smart Gas Water Heater MA-10WFE retails at $490 on City Energy.
3 Types of Water Heaters
| Water heater | Installation cost | Size | Time | Water pressure | Energy efficiency | Price |
| Instant | From $60 | Compactly-sized, visible in toilet | Almost instant | Lower water pressure | Requires electricity when it is in use | From $69 |
| Storage | From $100 | Larger in size, tucked near ceiling in toilets | Up to 20 minutes to heat up a tank of water | Higher water pressure, up to 10 litres per minute | Requires electricity to heat up large volumes of water in a tank | From $168 |
| Gas | For HDB, free installation and replacements For condo units, $450 (before GST) for replacements | Medium-sized, placed in kitchen or service yard | Up to half a minute to clear out ‘cold feed’ in the pipe, before hot water reaches you | Lower water pressure | Requires gas and electricity to work | From $181 |
Now that you understand the different types of water heaters and their pros and cons, click here to see the 10 best water heaters in Singapore.
Are Gas Water Heaters Popular?
Speaking to local media, City Energy’s Group Head of the Core Business Group, Mr. Soh Guan Hong shared that the demand for gas water heaters has increased by 20% in comparison to pre-COVID-19 times. He goes on to add that IoT-enabled home solutions are a game changer for sustainable living.