Water heating tips

From TipThePlanet

Jump to: navigation, search

Water heating accounts for approximately 15 percent of the average household’s total energy consumption (and a sizable chunk of its energy costs).

If your water heater is more than 10 years old it is likely running at less than 50 percent efficiency—wasting energy and money—but most people don’t replace their water heater until it fails. Upgrading to a new, more efficient model will lower not only your monthly expenses, but also your contribution to air pollution and global warming.

Before you shop for a new water heater, however, make sure you’ve done everything you can to minimize your hot water use. Install water-saving fixtures and appliances, for example, and insulate your pipes. Then, choose the most energy-efficient model that meets your needs and budget; three types are described below.

Is your hot water too hot? For most, setting the thermostat at 60°C/140°F is fine for bathing.

Periodically drain a little water from your water heater to remove the sediment-laden water that can build up and reduce efficiency.

Water Heater Blanket or Jacket is the

same concept as why you use an insulated travel coffee mug. When your water heater is not being used it is still storing hot water. And that's when it can lose heat through the walls of the tank if they are not well insulated. This loss is called standby loss since it is heat lost while the heater is standing by for use. You can save 4% to 9% of your water heating bill and reduce stand by heat loss by 25% to 50% if you have an older water heater just by putting Water Heater Blanket on it.

Look for the ENERGY STAR label on efficient water heaters in the following categories: high efficiency gas non-condensing, gas condensing, electric heat pump, gas tankless, and solar.

[edit] Storage Water Heaters

Heaters that maintain a large tank of water at a set temperature are the most common, and are best suited for larger households that use a lot of hot water. They have become more efficient over the years, but some energy is still wasted when the hot water is not being used (known as standby energy loss).

To purchase the most efficient storage water heater for your needs, you need to know two numbers: first-hour rating (FHR) and energy factor (EF). FHR represents the amount of hot water your family uses during its busiest hour; the U.S. Department of Energy offers a worksheet to help you determine this amount (see the related links). EF represents how efficiently the appliance operates, with higher values signifying better efficiency. EF ratings typically range from 0.75 to 0.95 for electric water heaters, and 0.50 to 0.70 for natural gas-fired water heaters.

Boilers in the UK have been given an official efficiency rating from A to G, A being the most efficient. Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK) is a useful resource for small boilers, having a database of the efficiencies of current and past domestic-sized boilers (applicable to small offices) on the market. There is a difference of over 15% in the efficiency of new boilers on the market. When purchasing a new boiler it is essential to buy an efficient one, as the boilers currently on the market vary significantly in their efficiency at turning fuel into heat.

Turn down the thermostat on your water heater! It’s easy and setting your water heater thermostat to a mid to low range will still provide plenty of hot water, prevent scalding in the water heater, and save money on energy costs.

Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.

Lower the thermostat on your water heater; water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high temperature settings, but a setting of 120°F provides comfortable hot water for most uses.

Insulate your electric hot-water storage tank, but be careful not to cover the thermostat.

Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.

Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater.

Also known as on-demand or instantaneous heaters,

these devices use energy only when hot water is needed, resulting in less standby energy loss than storage heaters. They tend to have a higher up-front cost, but are less expensive to operate in the long term due to their higher efficiency. When choosing a tankless water heater, you must first determine your required flow rate, or the total hot water consumption of the appliances you need to run simultaneously (in gallons per minute).

Consider natural gas on-demand or tankless water heaters. Researchers have found savings can be up to 30% compared with a standard natural gas storage tank water heater.

By transferring heat from the sun into a conventional storage tank, solar water heaters can supply part or all of your hot water needs. They have higher up-front costs than conventional water heaters but much lower operating costs, and can pay for themselves within 4 to 10 years under favorable conditions. You might also be able to take advantage of local, state, or federal energy-efficiency incentives that help lower your initial investment; a list of incentives by state is available through the related links. Find out more under Solar Water-Heating Power.

Long lifetime and Maintenance costs are very low. The average life expectancy of qualified solar water heating systems is 20 years, much longer than standard gas or electric storage water heaters.