Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Energy Saving Tips in Water Heating
It is a fact well-proven that water heaters are one of the best users of energy in a household. Whether you are out looking for a water heater, or are looking for a new one to replace your old unit, make sure you consider the energy consumption of water heaters and how this affects your bills. Aside from choosing a water heater that does not consume too much energy, you can also save energy once you install any kind you chose.
First of all, if your water heater is old enough, you should start thinking about replacing it. Don't wait until it breaks down. This will put you in a rushed and pressured situation where you have to choose a water heater in such a short time. This is not good, since choosing one should take time. Also, in case you have some problems with your old water heater, you can take that into consideration when you choose a replacement. Then, when you're out shopping for a water heater, don't go right ahead and buy the cheapest one you can find. The initial price you pay is not what matters. The operating costs are more important. Think long-term, not short-term.
Also, once you bring home that water heater, don't go and install it just like that. There are still plenty you can do to save energy, such as placing insulating jackets around the tank and the pipes. This will help save energy and costs by reducing the amount of heat that gets lost through the walls of the tank and the pipes as the water is stored there. Insulating jackets are way cheaper, considering that using them can reduce your energy consumption by up to 40%.
Here's another tip, and one that you won't instantly think about when your attention is all on your water heater. Well, you must be forgetting that your water heater works directly with your shower equipment. The amount of water that comes out of your shower heads affect your water heater's energy consumption. Aside from insulating, you also have to make some revisions with your shower equipment. Consider installing shower restrictors that can limit the amount of water that gets through your shower head. The less water you consume, the less heating the water heater needs to do. And this equates, of course, to lower energy consumption and, yes, less expenses that you need to pay.
Now you're ready to go on and install your water heater. Once it's up and running, however, you should still exert some effort to save energy. There are two surefire ways to do so. First, lower the temperature while you're using one. This can help save some energy. However, the best thing you can do is still to conserve water as much as you can. When you conserve water, you can never go wrong.
Of course, there are a lot more you can do. However, the tips enumerated above are the easiest and cheapest ways to save energy when you're using water heaters. After all, in the effort to save on energy consumption of your water heater, you should not waste your own energy on difficult methods and techniques when you can save a lot of energy using the hassle-free tips above.
James Brain is the marketing associate for Fast Water Heater A repair and installation service company specializing in traditional and tankless water heaters. We service Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.