Water Heating Tips to Curb Your Usage and Eliminate Waste
Water heaters typically account for up to 18 percent of your energy bill and are the second largest energy expense in your home.
Following these water heating tips can help you keep both your hot water use and utility bills under control.
Water heating tips to curb usage and eliminate waste:
- Use less water
- Use aerators, low-flow faucets and low-flow showerheads.
- Stay on top of leaks, which waste gallons of water in a short time.
- Turn down the temperature
- One of the simplest and most effective water heating tips, adjusting your hot water heater temperature to 120 degrees or less can greatly reduce water heating costs.
- Insulate
- Insulate the first 6 feet of cold and hot water pipes connected to the heater.
- Insulate your hot water tank.
- Install heat traps on cold and hot pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. (These are built in on some models.)
- When insulating, be sure to follow manufacturer’s suggestions or get professional help to avoid malfunctions and safety issues.
- Upgrade to a more efficient model
- Start thinking about upgrading to an Energy Star-rated model when your current water heater is about 7 years old, before it fails. This will give you appropriate time to research a replacement that is the best fit for your needs.
- Consider tankless and gas on-demand water heaters. These models can save you up to 30 percent on energy costs compared to storage tank models.
- Use Energy Star-rated dishwashers and clothes washers to further reduce hot water use.
- Maintain
- Draining your hot water tank and removing sediment that impedes heat transfer every three months helps your water heater operate more efficiently.
For more water heating tips, such as how a grey water heat recovery system can capture energy from waste hot water, contact Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve been offering great customer service to the greater Cincinnati area since 1910.
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