Sbarella, don't worry. You won't need a second shower no matter what you choose. The tanks are easier and cheaper to install and deal with. They are fine if all you need is hot water for a shower. They do take up some space in the bathroom, but its usually up above.

Sbarella, I also recommend choosing one that is programmable. You can tell it when to heat up water and when to not. That way, if you only need hot water at, say, 8 in the morning, it will just do that. This saves alot on your electricity bill!

I have a haier, on the 2000 watt setting, I can get hot water in 15min. So, just turning it on when you need it works for me, but if you leave it on all the time, yes that will waste electricity.

I find instant water heaters more useful, especially when in a hurrry or in winter. They are also a lot less bulky than tanks, and you can use existing pipes.

We were in a new apartment 4 years ago that had only solar hot water, however, the cold water line did have an extra fitting to add on a water heater that then fed back to the hot water line. This was high up on the wall. Check to see if there are capped fittings on the wall, and it so then that's probably what they are for.
We bought an on-demand heater at Gome and they arranged the installation. When the sun was out we used solar, when it wasn't we could switch to the electric.

@Yankee— what kind of instant? We have an electric one but its terrible. Water slows down to a trickle (literally) and even then it gets to ~45 degrees on a good day. If we turn it up higher, it blows the fuse for all the lights in the apartment.

I would go with an on demand gas water heater if you are concerned about energy consumption. From what I can tell, the two best relatively common brands on the market are Noritz (German) and Rinnai (Japanese).

@atwillden, the one that my landlord had installed says 'Otlan'. It's the brown one here:

www.jd.com/pinpai/1706-3733.html

I find the temperature fine, but I guess that depends on the person. No problem with the pressure. There was only that one time where the pressure was really weak and it turned out to be debris in the shower head. I cleaned it and it's fine now.

@tiger
Where is B&Q? I've heard people talking about it, but can't find it in listings. I'm moving soon and after some reliable appliances and home improvement materials. Is B&Q as good (and cheap) as it is back home?

I'll be wanting to switch out the Chinese toilet for a real toilet too, Is B&Q the best place to go for something like that? Or does anyone recommend any other place?
Do they offer a free delivery service on goods purchased?
Also, wondering if they do some kind of loyalty card for regular shoppers?
Thanks!

www.gokunming.com/en/listings/item/33154/bq

It's in the northeast. Almost to the expo garden parking lot. You could visit the bird flower market across after for some plants.

Don't forget about Metro for appliances and basic hardware tools. But I think Midea and Haier stuff is quite reliable, and those you can buy and have delivered from C4 or Walmart.