Water Heating Tips

In America, it’s easy to feel like our energy and water resources are unlimited. Turn on the tap, and there’s hot water whenever you want it; you could leave your AC on with the windows and doors open all day, if you fancied to do so. The problem is, our energy and water resources are limited, and their overuse is straining our natural resources beyond the point where they can be expected to recover. Here are some tips to reduce the water heating energy in your home, through better efficiency, maintenance, and usage.

Efficiency

If you’ve got an old water heater in your home, it might be time to upgrade to a more energy-efficient model. While you’ll be paying more for the new model up front, the money you save over time due to the lower operating costs, is often worth the investment.

There are several types of water heaters, including conventional storage tanks, demand water heaters, heat pump water heaters, solar water heaters, and tankless coil water heaters. While the conventional heated storage tanks are still the most popular option because of their low start-up costs, you’ll be surprised to learn how much more energy (and money) they use over their lifetime of use.

The most efficient water heaters are solar heaters with an electric backup, which can reduce energy usage by 70-90 percent and save homeowners up to $2,200 over their 20-year lifetime. Of course, these are only appropriate for homes in warm climates with sufficient sun. Heat pumps are another good option for warm regions; they work by transferring heat in the surrounding air to the water in the tank. These pumps are 65 percent more efficient than your regular electric resistance tank.

Demand heaters, which use a coil to heat water only when it’s needed, can save $1,800 over 20 years, and use 45-60 percent less energy than standard heaters. If you’re set on using the conventional storage tank, at least consider getting one with a good efficiency rating, as these use 10-20 percent less energy than older tanks.

Maintenance

Conscientious maintenance is crucial for keeping your tank in its most energy efficient state. First, of course, it’s important to have the water heater installed properly by a professional so that you know you’ll be maximizing its energy-efficient qualities. Here are some other steps you can take:

• Insulate your water heater tank: If you have a heat pump or conventional water heater, you can cut your water heating costs by 4-9 percent by insulating your tank. It doesn’t take any technical know-how, and it will pay for itself in about a year.
• Insulate your hot water pipes: Putting some insulation around the three feet of pipes leading to your water heater will significantly reduce the heat lost to the surrounding air, and can increase the outflow temperature by two to four degrees.
• Install Heat Traps: Heat traps are small metal fixtures that keep the heat from escaping through the joints in a water tank’s in-flow and out-flow pipes. While they are cheap to purchase, they do require professional installation.
• Install a Water Heater Timer: You don’t need an excess of hot water at night while you’re sleeping, so why pay for it? A timer will keep the heater from heating up during non-use hours, and they’re relatively easy to install yourself.
• Use Drain-Water Heat Recovery: Drain-water heat recovery is one maintenance modification that can benefit any type of water heating system, not just conventional tanks. They work by capturing the heat from hot water that is flowing down the drain and using it to reheat the water tank. These systems cost $300-500 to install and require the expertise of a professional plumber.

Usage Tips

How you use your hot water can contribute just as much to energy savings as installing a more efficient system and keeping it properly maintained. Here are some things to try:

• Keep track of your shower time with an egg timer. Thirty-seven percent of hot water usage takes place during showers. Cutting your usual 15-minute shower back to 10 minutes will save 1/3 of that energy. Or better yet, cut a 10-minute shower back to five minutes.
• Use cold water wash most of the time. The washing machine is the second biggest energy suck, using 26 percent of the hot water in the average household. Cold water washing is easier on your clothes, and it provides sufficient cleanliness for normal clothes washing needs.
• Lower your water heater temperature. While most water heaters are set at 140 degrees, the average household only needs a temperature of 120. Every 10 degree reduction you make will shave 3-5 percent off your heating bill.

More Information and Resources:

• Energy Star Product Listing: Energy Star is a government label that makes products that are more energy efficient. You can find a listing of Energy Star products here.
• Energy-Efficient Water Heating: The University of Georgia put together this helpful guide for homeowners about how to make their home water heating system more energy efficient.
• Energy Tips: Here you can find a number of tips on how to reduce your hot water use, by appliance.
• Solar Water Heaters: Solar water heaters are by far the most efficient water heating option. Learn about their use and whether a solar heater will work for your home.
• Energy Efficient Homes: Water Heaters: This is another helpful guide for comparing the efficiency and costs of different heaters, in order to chose the best one for you.

Sources:

High Efficiency Water Heaters. (2011) EnergyStar.gov

Energy-Efficient Water Heating. (2011) EnergySavers.gov