Lower the temperature setting of your water heater. The lower the temperature, the lower the energy use and lower the energy cost. Ensure your water heater temperature is set between 125 and 135. The higher temperatures are not necessary and may lead to the possibility of burning your skin and more importantly injuring a child. Incidentally, the lower temperature setting is fine for washing dishes and cleaning.

     The water heater does not need to be active all day. Save energy by only having the water heater active for about 30 to 60 minutes a day for a one-person household increasing the duration about 30 minutes for each additional person in the household. Adjust the duration and times depending on your needs for hot water, such as: showering, cleaning, washing dishes, etc. The water heater temperature can be controlled by using a timer attached to the water heater or by manually activating/deactivating from the circuit breaker. The results will be a reduction in your electric bill by $5 - $25 per month. Since the circuit breaker is not designed to be used as frequently as a switch, consider having a switch (just like a light switch) to be installed to control the electricity to the water heater. Although, such an idea is not practical for a gas unit because it is more efficient than an electric unit and turning off the gas unit will require the pilot light to be relit.

     Another way of saving energy and resources is to decrease the water flow from the faucet when cleaning or showering. The faster the hot water flows, the faster the hot water is used up. Also a reduction in water use will lower your water bill.

     Perform yearly or bi-yearly maintenance on your water heater by flushing out all the water in the tank. Removing the water in the tank will allow any sediment built up at the bottom of the tank to be removed. If the sediment is never removed it will build up, eventually causing the heating coils to fail. The result is a preventable expense of replacing the water heater.      Save energy and money by reducing the temperature to the lowest setting f you will be leaving your house vacant for more than a couple days. There is no need to maintain the temperature in the tank when no one is in the house.

     When your existing water heater, which has a tank for holding the water, needs to be replaced, then consider the purchase of a tankless variety. The tankless units will last much longer and save a great deal of energy because the hot water is provided on an on demand basis without storing any amount of water in a tank. The units are very efficient and will eventually save you money in the long run which is a pleasant option considering the tankless units are much more expensive than the tank units.


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