Abstract: A water heater capable of generating water at any temperature from ambient mains temperature to boiling and also for generating steam on demand includes a closed water tank having a water inlet with a valve for allowing or preventing ingress of water into the tank, a non-return valve for preventing water from the tank flowing back into the main supply and a pressure reducing valve for ensuring that the water pressure in the water inlet pipe and in the tank does not exceed a preset value, a water level transducer for detecting the water level in the tank, a heater for heating the water in the tank, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of water in the tank, a hot water outlet arranged towards the bottom of the tank, preferably a mixing valve in the hot water outlet mixing hot water leaving the tank with water at ambient mains temperature, a steam outlet arranged towards the top of the tank, and a controller receiving signals from the water level detector, the temperature detector and a programmer