Money Saving Tips for Hot Water

This year’s winter has been brutal. Aside from people trying to save money on heating their homes, there are a host of people dealing with sub zero conditions and burst pipes. Fortunately, there are tips you can apply to your home life that will cut down on the money you spend heating your water, and conserve cash keeping your space warm.

Consume Less Water

You might need to invest in some extra fixtures to decrease the water flow in your house. By reducing your usage, you automatically reduce your bill. It’s also a good excuse to repair any faucets or fixtures that have sprung a leak. Investigate your shower head especially, as those few drops that let loose when you close the spigot add up to gallons over time.

Insulate Pipes

There are insulation kits you can use to cover your water tank, and the exposed pipes in the room. You want to make sure that you insulate pipes that line a wall where there is little insulation. Basements and laundry rooms sometimes share a wall with the outside of the home, and pipes that remain exposed there are prone to freezing. Make sure you avoid covering the base and the top of any heaters that are fueled by gas or oil.

Lower Your Thermostat

The United States Department of Energy recommends that you lower your thermostat to 120. Above that and you risk scalding yourself from the hot water faucet, and below that you risk filling your pipes with sediment. The temperature helps warm water, but it also helps keeps pipes clean of sediment that can impact performance. Also be wary of Legionnaires’ disease, which can manifest at temperatures as low as 122 degrees.

Replace Old Tanks

Most of your old appliances are highly inefficient, and may actually cost you money. Most water heaters will last for about 10 or 15 years if they are well maintained. That doesn’t mean that a newer unit won’t serve you well. New water heaters may have more comprehensive warranties, or better insulation that helps reduce the heater’s energy consumption.

Tankless water heaters are also an excellent choice for a family that consumes a lot of hot water, and they use about half the electricity that a standard water heater would consume.

Making your home more energy efficient comes down to what will work best for you. These appliances sometimes have a high-upfront cost, but the tax breaks and energy savings over time will help you make your money back on the purchase.

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Payless Water Heaters is the number one Noritz Tankless Installer in California, and has been for five years running. For tips on making your home energy efficient, check Twitter.com/paylesswater.