In your daily battle to save energy, your hot water heater is the weakest link. One of the reason is that you are probably still using a conventional type of water heater.
That kind of heater continuously works to keep your water hot and ready any time you need it. However, as much as you want water to stay hot, it would naturally cool down. And once it does, the burner or heating part would start to warm it up again. It’s just a cycle, really.
That is why it’s not surprising that your water heater is responsible for about 13% of all your household’s energy costs. Yes, it uses that much. Now you are probably wondering how you can possibly cut that down. Here are some ways:
- Lessen your hot water usage. It’s an obvious move, right? If your family has four members and you all shower for 5 minutes per day, you approximately use 700 gallons of water per week. You can lessen the amount you use by using low-flow showerheads and aerators. That would already cut your consumption by at least 25%. You can also use the “economy” setting of your dishwasher and just stop your habit of pre-washing. Just scrape leftovers on your plates into the trash before loading them.
- Turn down the thermostat. Your water heater is probably reset at 140 degrees, which is the common setting. However it is recommended that you lower it to 120. That is high enough to meet your needs and enough to save about 10% on your usual bill.
- Insulate your hot water pipes. By doing so, your water will get to your faucet about 2 to 4 degrees warmer compared to when the pipes are exposed. That means your waiting time for water to heat up is lessened and you save time, energy, and money.
- Insulate your tank, especially if it’s an old one. Wrapping your tank with an insulating blanket is a quick and inexpensive way to reduce costs. Newer models have insulated tanks, but if you still have the earlier version cut your heat loss by at least 25% by insulating it.
- Drain the buildup of sediment which naturally builds up in your tank. This reduces your tank’s efficiency. It results to making saving energy a real challenge. When you drain your tank, it will run more efficiently.
These are only some ways to reduce your hot water heater’s energy usage. If you need yours serviced professionally or if you decide to replace yours with a more energy-saving unit, Hayes Plumbing’s expert team can do it for you. Give us a call!
