I currently have a 50 gal tank heated by propane. I am considering switching to a tankless electric. I had a tankless propane installed when I first moved into my house by a plumber but the heater never worked, just made boom boom noises and I had to return it. I would rather switch to electric because the only appliance in my home that runs on propane is the water heater and it is somewhat of a hassle to have the propane tank filled.
If I do switch over I am wondering if I should get two water heaters for either side of the house. Currently the water heater is located in the laundry on the front end of the house, the kitchen is in the middle and the bathrooms are on the other end in the back of the house, I would say there is at least a 50 ft run. It takes at least 3 minutes for the hot water to make it to the shower. Would getting two units be more economical than one whole house unit? I am also located in Southern California so we are trying to conserve water as well, so to me it makes more sense to get a smaller unit for the shower side of the house to stop wasting water waiting for it to heat up.

http://www.tankthetank.com/sh.html
Initial cost will be Higher as they Need 50 or more amps to do any good. Larger Wiring will be needed at both locations. Need to have decent Electric Service to be able to handle it. Not a bad Idea. If service won't handle it, They make a Showerhead with a heater built in, was about $100, screws in place of showerhead, plugs into a standard GFCI Recpticle, Works good enough. Will save money and water, Has 5 levels of heat, slowing down water will increase heat?
Money is the Factor.

Have had this one in use for a couple of years, shop around, only an example:
http://www.tankthetank.com/sh.html

Good Luck

I am puzzled why the original Propane Tankless didn't work as it should. We install them in So.California all the time and I have never heard from my customers experiencing such problems. It seems to me it just needed simple adjustment to get it work.

My 2 cents: I still think Propane heater is the way to go. Nowadays, you can purchase Tankless Heater with hot water recirculation pump buit in, as is Navien or Noritz model. Install 1 heater in present location. Now, you just run PEX return pipe from the most distanced fixture back to the heater and your hot water problem delivery is solved. Still lot cheaper than installing 2 electric tankless heaters. Electric tankless heaters need about 100 Amps combined. So as mentioned in previous post, you may need to upgrade your service panel to accommodate additional 100 amps. Upstart cost plus the cost of electricity may make it inefficient to do.

I would call 3 plumbers in your area for free estimate and take it from there. They will tell you what will be the best for your situation to do

Let me know how you did !

Milo