Water Heating
Heating your water is likely the second-largest utility expense in your home. Here are some water heating tips that are geared towards knocking dollars off your monthly water bill.
- Turn down the thermostat on your water heater
- Install a timer that can automatically turn the hot water off at night and on in the morning
- Install a heat trap, which is a simple piping arrangement that prevents hot water from rising up in the pipes, to help minimize losses.
- Drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every 3 months. This will remove sediment that prevents heat transfer and lowers the unit's efficiency.
- Insulate your water heater
Insulating Your Hot Water Heater
Water heaters consume much of their energy just keeping a supply of hot water ready and waiting in the tank. This is because heat gradually leaks out of the tank over time, and then it must turn on again to reheat the water. To minimize this heat loss from your water tank you can insulate it using a ready-made kit - these are available at most hardware and building supply stores.
Buying a New Water Heater
When buying a new hot water heater there are two significant factors that should be taken into consideration: The Energy Factor (EF), and the First-Hour Rating (FHR).
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Energy Factor (EF)
The efficiency of water heaters is indicated by their energy factor (EF), which is based on recovery efficiency, standby losses, and cycling losses; water heaters with a higher EF are more efficient. Electric resistance water heaters have EFs ranging from 0.7 and 0.95; gas water heaters from 0.5 and 0.6, with some high-efficiency models ranging around 0.8; oil water heaters from 0.7 and 0.85; and heat-pump water heaters from 1.5 to 2.0. -
First-Hour Rating (FHR)
Although some consumers buy water heaters based on the size of the storage tank, the first-hour rating (FHR), provided on the EnergyGuide label, is actually more important. The FHR is a measure of how much hot water the heater will deliver during a busy hour. Before you buy a water heater estimate your household's peak-hour hot water use (your water use during morning showers, for instance) and look for a unit with an FHR in that range.
