One of the easiest ways to reduce your energy bills is to start taking notice of how much hot water you and your family use. Because water heating comes in second only to the costs to heat and cool your home, you’ll notice a sizable gain in energy savings when you look for ways to cut hot water usage.
Here are five easy tips to start getting better results from your water heater:
- Insulate – Older water heaters lose a lot of energy through standby losses, a process where energy escapes through the tank’s surface. Installing an insulating jacket, pre-cut to fit your specific model, or an insulating blanket will reduce energy losses.
- Address pipes – While newer water heaters are manufactured with high levels of insulation to prevent standby losses, homeowners with new (or old) systems can benefit from insulating the water pipes extending from and going into the water heater. Doing so will help you to maintain more consistent temperatures as hot water circulates through the pipes.
- Regulate temperature – Factory settings for most water heaters are unnecessarily high. Use an energy-saving setting, generally between 46-49 degrees.
- Perform preventive maintenance – If you have the knowledge to perform the task, you may consider draining your system biannually. Only do this if you have a sturdy brass drain valve, as plastic valves wear out easily. Otherwise, you should enlist the help of a professional to perform comprehensive plumbing maintenance, which involves testing the system for safety, inspecting for wear and tear, and cleaning system components.
- Reduce usage – Two methods of reducing hot water usage include taking more showers than baths, which consumes about half as much hot water, and installing low-flow devices on faucets and showers.
- Upgrade your system – By far the most energy-saving step you can take, upgrading to a more efficient water heating system will cost more initially, but net you bigger energy savings over the long term.
If you’d like to talk to our experts about upgrading your existing water heater, just contact Arpi’s Industries today! We’ve been serving greater Calgary-area homeowners for almost 50 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Arpi’s services Calgary, Alberta. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!
