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No costs/ low costs options
- 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. The type of water tank you have determines the steps to take, so follow the manufacturer's advice.
- Take more showers than bath. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household.
- Use less hot water
- Lag hot water pipes, especially the first meters leading from the hot water system.
- Lower the thermostat on your water heater; water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high temperature settings, but a setting of 120º F provides comfortable hot water for most uses.
- Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Some new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
Some investment
- Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads.
- Warp your hot water cylinder (more...)
- Buy a new energy-efficient water heater
- Fix dripping hot water taps. A hot tap dripping at one drip per second will cost $50 per year in electricity.
Sources:
www.energywise.org.nz
www.mercury.co.nz
www1.eere.energy.gov |
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Further information:
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s website has information about energy efficiency standardsfor electric hot water cylinders.
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