Energy savings. How to reduce home hot water energy heating costs

Energy savings tips and ideas to save hot water heating costs at home

Energy saving tips and ideas to help decrease the water heating costs in your home.

This approach includes ideas and tips about reducing the amount of hot water used, ideas about making your water-heating system more energy efficient, and ideas of using off-peak power to heat water and save energy.

The four most important end uses to focus on for hot water energy savings are ... faucets

showers

dishwashers

and washing machines

Simply repairing leaks in faucets and showers can save hot water energy. A leak of one drip per second can cost $1 per month, yet could be repaired in a few minutes for less than that.

Turning the hot-water faucet off while shaving or brushing your teeth, as opposed to letting the water run, can also reduce water-heating energy costs and save money for the home.

Limit the amount of time you spend in the shower also obviously saves energy at home.

Some actions may require a small investment of time and money in order to generate home energy savings.

Installing low-flow energy saving showerheads and faucet aerators can save significant amounts of hot water energy. Low-flow showerheads can reduce hot-water consumption for bathing by 30%, yet still provide a strong spray. This is a lot of energy saving over a year.

Faucet aerators, when applied in commercial and multifamily buildings where water is constantly circulated, can also reduce water-heating energy consumption.

A quick test can help you determine if your shower is a good candidate for a showerhead replacement. Turn on the shower to the normal pressure you use, hold a bucket that has been marked in gallon increments under the spray, and time how many seconds it takes to fill the bucket to the 1-gallon (3.8-liter) mark.

If it takes less than 20 seconds, you could benefit from a low-flow showerhead. A top-quality, low-flow showerhead will cost $10 to $20 and pay for itself in energy savings within 4 months. Lower quality showerheads may simply restrict water flow, which often results in poor performance.

Because of the different Uses of bathroom and kitchen faucets, you may need to have different water flow rates in each location. For bathroom faucets, aerators that deliver 0.5 to 1 gallon (1.9 to 3.8 liters) of water per minute may be sufficient.

Kitchen faucets may require a higher flow rate of 2 to 4 gallons (7.6 to 15.1 liters) per minute if you regularly fill the sink for washing dishes. On the other hand, if you tend to let the water run when washing dishes, the lower flow rate of 0.5 to 1 gallon per minute may be more appropriate.

Some aerators come with shut-off valves that allow you to stop the flow of water without affecting the temperature. A relatively common assumption is that washing dishes by hand saves hot water. However, washing dishes by hand several times a day could be more expensive than operating some automatic dishwashers.

If properly used, an efficient dishwasher can consume less energy than washing dishes by hand, particularly when you only operate the dishwasher with full loads.

The biggest cost of operating a dishwasher comes from the energy required to heat the water before it reaches the machine. Heating water for an automatic dishwasher can represent about 80% of the energy required to run this appliance. Average dishwashers use 8 to 14 gallons (30.3 to 53 liters) of water for a complete wash cycle and require a water temperature of 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for optimum cleaning.

Some dishwashers have built-in boosters that will automatically raise the water temperature, while others require manual selection before the wash cycle begins.

A booster heater can add about $30 to the cost of a new dishwasher but should pay for itself in water-heating energy savings in about 1 year if you also lower your water heater temperature. Reducing the water heater temperature is not advisable, however, if your dishwasher does not have a booster heater.

Another feature that reduces hot-water use in dishwashers is the availability of cycle selections. Shorter cycles require less water, thereby reducing the energy cost.

The most efficient dishwasher currently on the market can cost half as much to operate as the most inefficient model. If you are planning to purchase a new dishwasher, check the EnergyGuide labels and compare the approximate yearly energy costs among brands.

Dishwashers fall into one of two categories: compact capacity or standard capacity. Although compact-capacity dishwashers may appear to be more energy efficient, they hold fewer dishes and may force you to use the appliance more frequently than you would use a standard-capacity model.

One simple step for reducing water-heating energy costs is lowering the thermostat setting on your water heater. Keep in mind that electric water heaters may have two thermostats to adjust---one each for the upper and lower heating elements---and adjusting these is tricky. Another possibility for electric water heaters is installing a timer that can automatically turn the heater off at night and on in the morning.

If heat traps were not initially installed with your water heater, adding them is another way of reducing water-heating energy loss.

When you turn on a hot-water faucet during cold weather, it may take several seconds for the water to become hot. This happens because the water travels through pipes from the water heater to the faucet, and some of the pipes may pass through unheated sections of the house, such as the basement. As a result, the hot water loses some of its heat to the surrounding space.

This heat loss can be reduced by insulating hot water pipes wherever they are accessibleespecially in unheated areas. Use quality pipe insulation wrap, or neatly tape strips of fiberglass insulation around the pipes. Eventually the water will cool, but it will remain warmer much longer inside insulated pipes.

Insulating your water-heater storage tank is a fairly simple and inexpensive improvement that can help maintain the water temperature at the thermostat setting. Some newer models of water heaters are well insulated and do not need an added layer, but a heater that is warm to the touch needs additional insulation.

Information extracted from  a DOE publication in the interests of saving energy for America.