Saving money on your monthly heating bill is surprisingly easy. A little insulation here and the right temperature there, and your hot water tank can become even more efficient.
Our Kelowna heating and plumbing experts have compiled a list of our top tips to help you reduce your heating costs.
Tips to make your hot water tank more efficient
Insulate your hot water tank and pipes
Your hot water tank could be creating a lot of what’s called ‘standby heat loss’ every day. Fortunately, you can prevent energy from being wasted and reduce standby heat loss by up to 40 per cent by putting an insulation blanket around your storage tank, especially if it’s an older model. This alone could translate to up to 9 per cent savings on your energy bill.
Another inexpensive and effective way to reduce your heating costs is to insulate your hot water pipes. You can choose from foam insulation with a side slit for easy insulation, self-sealing foam insulation for seamless, tape-free insulation, and fibreglass pipe covers with rigid shells for extremely hot conditions.
Set your hot water tank to the right temperature
Our Kelowna heating and plumbing team suggests setting your water heater thermostat to a temperature between 55 C and 60 C. This will quickly reduce your hot water costs, and it’ll extend the life of your tank by slowing corrosion and mineral build-up.
You might want to have a Kelowna heating and plumbing professional help adjust the settings because your thermostat dial can be tricky to find, and it’s important to shut off the electricity to the hot water tank first if you have an electric water heater. If you adjust the temperature yourself, be sure to keep it above 55 C at all times to avoid bacteria growth.
Use less hot water
This is one of the fastest, easiest ways for you to save money on your heating costs, and it doesn’t have to compromise enjoying warm showers or your appliances. Just be sure to run full loads in the clothes washer or dishwasher, use the cold water cycle with appropriate detergent if you can, and install a low-flow shower-head in the bathroom.
Invest in an efficient water heater
The average lifespan of a hot water heater is between ten to fifteen years. depending on the home usage. So when the time comes to buy a new hot water tank for your home, there is a range of incredibly energy efficient hot water solutions for you to chose from.
Most homes today use the more popular Atmospheric Hot Water Heater which is vented off the top with a B-Vent through the roof. Many people choose to installs this type of tank, as they are affordable and easy to purchase.
An investment to have installed, energy efficient condensing hot water heaters save on energy costs by recapturing the heat of flue gases to reduce heat loss. While on-demand tankless water heaters allow you to heat only the water your need as you go, saving you money.
