Hot Water Heaters: Ideas to Make Them More Efficient!

The third largest of energy expense source is for water heating. And therefore, there are many homeowners in Europe and North America who are looking for more ideas on how to use water heater more efficient in order to keep the utility bill not too high. Some of those ideas can be by using hot water more wisely, setting lower thermostat so thus the unit will not work too hardly, choosing the newest model of hot water heaters that are built in with the newest more efficient technology, and so on. In many cases, the cost of operating hot water heaters could be around 12 percent or more of the entire energy bill.

Let’s to the point! And the following are other ideas on how to be more efficient on using a hot water heater:

1. Avoid setting the thermostat more than 120 F! This level is usually high enough for the average households, except if you live in the extreme coldest areas.
2. If you use a conventional storage tank water heater, it is much better to also insulate the tank in order to minimize the energy loses. But the thermostat should not be covered up!
3. Check the bottom of the tank, especially for a quart of water. Make sure there is no sediment built up! Clean it if necessary. You should do this maintenance at least three times a year or once in 3-4 months.
4. For better in efficiency performance for the heating system, it is also so recommended to give the proper insulation for any pipes that connected to the hot water heater, especially for the first 6 ft of the pipes that connected to the heater. Consider also to use heat traps that can be installed on the cold or hot pipes. These ideas are simple & basic but will be helpful enough to make the system work more efficient on consuming the energy.
5. Use also any energy-efficient appliances that need hot water to work, such as washing machine, dishwasher, etc. Make sure those appliances have Energy Star approval.
6. Consider also to use showerheads and aerating if the budget permits.
7. Check the performance of the faucets regularly, avoid using damaged leaky faucets! Repair them or replace them if necessary.
8. Avoid using older hot water heaters that have been more than seven years old, because the older units tend to work inefficiently.

And for long-term saving ideas on using hot water heaters:

1. Consider to look the unit that has good value of energy efficiency rating. Make sure the unit is qualified for the Energy Star label!
2. Prioritize to choose the unit with more eco-friendly technologies. There are some options, such as; geothermal heat pump, solar water heating system, tankless model, etc.
3. Save your money up to more than 25 percent of lower energy bill with a smart drain heat recovery system for drain and recycle water wasted!
4. If you are looking for tankless model, it is more recommended to choose natural gas tankless unit. According to some researches (energysavers.gov), this unit can work 30 percent more efficient than conventional natural gas hot water heaters with storage tank.
5. And if you want to install heat pump system, make sure it is worth and economical choice in long term! Because for some areas, the up-front costs & costs of operation of heat pump can be so expensive for some areas! On the other hand, in the right areas, heat pump can be so effective to save your money in long term. Ask to a local heating contractor for more detailed information about this issue!

Read also how to calculate power wattage use and cost of electric heaters!

More tags: