What conditions make a batch style hot water heater system the best choice?

Answer 1

I am familiar with the tank type and the tankless. I don't consider either to be batch, which would be like boiling water on the stove and pouring it out before heating another. In the tank type, cold water is admitted anytime hot water is drawn with a dip tube keeping the cold water near the bottom so the water drawn is hot as long as possible. In a tankless the water is heated as it is drawn, perhaps with a small header tank. It is much more expensive to buy, but is convenient because it is near the fauscet so gives nearly instant hot water where a tank type is commonly installed near other utilities and has a pipe of some length with cooled water in it to drain off. The tankless gets even more expensive if several are needed for scattered use (laundry, bathroom, kitchen.)