The only experience I have is with the Bosche LP tankless , but according to the rep from our geo manufacturer , this wont work because then sensor that turns them on requires inlet water around 80 F or lower to turn on .As is the case with most whole house units , They recomend Point of Service units applied to the whole house , the only problem I have with that is they all look like POS ( not point of service ).
Any way my point is , Am I better off using the upper element to boost the temp ( even though its not right ) or are the savings significant enough to take a risk on one of these units