2 water Heaters vs 1 large one?

My current setup has 2 bathrooms in each in of the house and I had contemplated placing a large WH in the middle of the house. I'm now thinking it may be better to put 2 - 30 gallon at each end to supply each bath., kitch, washer.

Do two 30 gallon WH use more electricity than a single 60 gallon unit?

TIA

-jd

SUrface area to volume of one large tank vs two smaller ones would have more area on two small tanks. This would allow more heat loss, given the same insulation. A 30-gallon tank is not very big, and might be small for some showers. It wouldn't fill the average washing machine with hot water, either.

Other factors

You've also got to consider heat loss in the pipes, and water wasted getting the hot water to where it needs to be (unless you use a circulating pump (or pumps) of some kind). Also, you'd be losing a few square feet of living space with a second WH, and the price of 2 30-gallon units might be higher than 1 60-gallon. You've got to provide for a drain pan and overflow in two places instead of one. All in all, the precise calculation over the life of the WH(s) is complex, and probably not worth it. I'd go with a single WH centrally located, and insulate the hell out of the WH and pipes. To avoid the water loss, either install on-demand circulators at the extreme ends, or (preferably) build a full-loop system in the first place with an on-demand circulator.

Consider Point-of-Use Heater

The other solution for hot water at the end of a long line is a point-of-use heater like the Ariston GL series. It costs about $125, uses a 120 Volt circuit, and gives you instant hot water while the water from the big tank is getting there through the cooled off pipe.

The storage in the POU heater is enogh to mix with the water in the pipes so you don't run out of hot while waiting for the water from the main heater to arrive.

The heat losses are less and it is probably less expensive to buy and install than a circulating system.