Going with a gas water heater instead of an electric is a choice more and more homeowners are making now because of today's rising fuel costs. It is estimated that using a gas unit costs the homeowner about half of what it would cost him to use an electric unit.

1) Natural gas over liquid propane. There are debates about which fuel source is better but most believe that it is natural gas. It burns cleaner and is slightly less expensive. However, you must guard against carbon monoxide leaks with either version, as you should do with any gas burning appliances.

2) Tank capacity and flow rate. The best gas water heater for you is the one that has the lowest tank capacity to fit your needs and the best flow rate. A 40 gallon unit costs more than a thirty and a fifty gallon unit costs more than a forty. You shouldn't buy a unit bigger than your needs. However, even more important than tank capacity is the amount of hot water the heater is able to put out in an hour. Look for the best value by finding the smallest possible tank capacity with the best flow rate.

3) Safety. The best water heaters on the market today will have built in safety precautions to prevent the pilot light from igniting any flammable vapors that might get into the room. Do not purchase one without them. The feature is not expensive and it can save lives.

Being exceptionally tall has many advantages, but what about when it comes to sporting endeavour, in particular when it comes to water sports. So just what are the plus and minus points of height when it comes to Swimming, rowing, water polo, canoe sports etc. How can a competitor use extra height to gain a competitive advantage over an opponent who has a different physical make up.

Let's look at the key attributes of the taller sports person. First and foremost is the ability to reach further. Being taller implies longer arms and legs, in turn meaning longer reach ability and longer stride ability. This is a tremendous advantage in many sports, but in particular water sports. One of the key factors to swimming is to generate long arcs with the arms and legs. This is only possible with long levers. The front crawl swim stroke requires that you have a long stroke i.e. your arms are powering through the water longer for every stroke than a shorter competitors. The longer your arms are in the water the more time you have to propel yourself in forward motion. Taller swimmers (and just take a look at who lines up for the next Olympic 200 metres Freestyle final) tend to have the textbook long, smooth stroke, whereas the shorter swimmers have a shorter, snappier stroke. Shorter swimmers, if powerful enough do however tend to excel at the more explosive and shorter events, such 50 metre breast stroke, where the long smooth stroke is overpowered by the more powerful short sharp strokes that generate forward momentum quickly.

Rowing is very much the domain of the taller athlete. Take a look any elite rowing crew and they will be tall. Even the lighter weight crews tend to be long and lean as opposed to short and muscular. Rowing is very much a team sport where all action and movement must be simultaneous to maximise effort. This is much easier to acheive if your crew of four or eight are of a similar height. Then to achieve a long stroke, maximising the oar time in the water, longer levers are required.