Your primary energy user is your heating and cooling system. The water heater in your house uses the second most energy. Every other system in your house lags behind these two energy hogs by a wide margin.
Making a few adjustments to the way that homeowners use their water heaters can help them save money and energy. This post will go over five suggestions to help you save money and energy on your water heater:
1) Regularly maintain your water heater
Nothing beats entering a shower and being sprayed with cold water. Water heaters need routine maintenance to operate well, just like any other item in your house. To guarantee that you have warm water when you need it, your water heater has to be maintained.
Flushing the tank is one of the crucial steps in water heater repair. The silt and particles that collect in a water heater’s tank will make your appliance use more energy to heat the water. the steps below to cleanse your water heater:
1. Turn off the electricity going to your water heater.
2. Connect a garden hose to the water heater’s tank faucet if there isn’t a floor drain already in place. Put the hose’s other end into a five-gallon bucket.
3. Turn on the faucet and let the tank’s water flow into the bucket.
4. Examine your bucket to see if there is too much silt.
5. If there is too much sediment, let the tank refill before draining it once again.
6. Restore power to your device in step six. Prior to using hot water, let the water warm up.
Homeowners should inspect the unit’s sacrificial anode rod to see whether the tank is in risk of rusting in addition to cleaning their system twice a year. Check the area surrounding your water heater often for signs of leakage.
2) Verify that the thermostat on your water heater is set to 120
Setting the thermostat for the water heater above 120 degrees Fahrenheit is a typical mistake. In addition to using more energy, raising the temperature over 120 will shorten the life of your water heater.
3) Insulate exposed pipes and the hot water storage tank.
There is a significant amount of heat loss with conventional tank-style water heaters. When water is heated but not used right away, heat loss happens. Up to 40% less heat can escape from storage tanks when using insulated blankets. Insulating exposed water pipes will further lessen heat loss. However, it’s crucial to use only authorised pipe insulation and water heater insulation blankets.
3) Verify That Your Water Heater Is in the Proper Place
If your water heater is installed in a particularly chilly room of your house, such the basement or garage, it could need more energy to heat the water. If your water heater leaks, it might cause extensive water damage if it’s in your attic. To have your water heater relocated to a better spot in your house, call a qualified plumber.
4) Change Out Your Old Water Heater
Traditional tank-style water heaters typically survive between eight and twelve years when properly maintained, according to water heater specialists . The lifespan of a tankless water heater can reach 25 years. Although it may be tempting to extend the life of your water heater as much as possible, if it is past its prime and beginning to show symptoms of wear, have a plumber have a look at it. Your water heater should be replaced as soon as possible to avoid a catastrophic failure.
