UPDATED 1/25/21
Many people don’t realize just how much water heating can cost. However, the truth is that it can be very pricey, especially for people who are on a very tight budget. There are many things that you can do to minimize these costs, however.
First of all, it is important to find the best water heater for house purposes that you can. If you have the most efficient water heating system available, it will likely also be the cheapest water heating system you can get. This is because energy is not going to be wasted on anything other than actually heating up the water for you.
You should also consider the exact type of water heater you want to get. There are many different types of gas water heaters that may work for you. However, if you want an electric water heater, you should look at the cost of a new electric water heater and see if this might be the best option for you instead.
There are also many things that you can do in your home in order to minimize the cost of water heating. You may even want to speak to a plumber, who has some expertise on how these systems work, in order to get some useful tips.
Most people around the United States would like to save money on their utility bills. The good news is that there are ways to reduce the bills associated with water heaters and other home plumbing appliances in the home. Here are a few things that people can do to save money on their bills.
Think about upgrading the appliances that use water. You can do a few things in this area:
- Put in a tankless water heater. Unlike a traditional water heater that has to be running all of the time to keep the water it is storing warm or hot, when you have a tankless water heater installation done, the water is not heated until you need the hot water. That changes a lot and can save you money on your the bills from preventing your water heater running all of the time.
- Look into Energy Star rated appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters. As was mentioned, you can talk to water heater contractors about tankless water heaters but there are conventional water heaters that can be more efficient than what you have in your home. A more energy efficient washing machine can save you more than $130 every year. The more energy efficient dishwasher can use up to about 30% less energy. These newer dishwashers all use less water. You save money in two ways when you make the switch.
- Go for showers and not baths. It will not break the bank if you take a nice bubble bath from time to time but for your daily washing, taking showers rather than baths will save you money on your utility bills. You can save even more energy and water if you shut off the shower when you are applying soap, shampoo, or conditioner.
- Take shorter showers. Sure, from time to time, a long, hot shower can be great. In terms of taking your daily shower, a shorter shower will lower the amount of water and energy you use and the price tag on your water and energy usage. Shorter showers will save you money on your bills.
- Turn the water off when you are brushing your teeth. If you are like most people in the United States, you probably let the water run as you brush your teeth. It might surprise many people to learn just how much water is wasted when people do this. You will save money and water when you turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
- Reduce the temperature on your water heater. For every ten degrees you lower the temperature, you take between 3% and 5% off of your utility bill. One good thing to do is keep the temperature setting at 120 degrees in the winter and lower during the hot summer months.
- When you do laundry, always put the machine on cold for the rinse cycle. It also makes a lot of sense to use cold water for most of the clothes washing that you do. This will keep your darker clothing looking better for longer.
- Wait until your dishwasher is full to run it. You can also pick cycles that are shorter. If you have a booster heater on your dishwasher, using that can impact how much energy your system uses.
- Check your plumbing from time to look for leaks. If you find any, fix them as soon as you can. For about 10% of the homes in the United States, there are leaks that lose as many as 90 gallons of water every day. Even small leaks can cost a lot in money and water. If a faucet leaks at a rate of one drip per second, that can add one dollar each month to the water bill. That translates, according to the American Water Works Association, to 259 gallons of water wasted every month.
Spending less on using water heaters is a great goal but there is another goal here. We are lucky in the United States. Almost everyone who lives in this country has access to clean water. Globally, about 844 million people cannot say that. Using less water reduces our water bills and is good for the planet.