Is it worth it to save energy by shutting off water heaters when not taking showers?
Monday, September 19th, 2011 at
4:00 pm
My parents are very conscious of energy bills and even shut off the water heaters and only turn them on when taking a shower. Is this necessary? Most places I know keep them on 24/7 without a problem. How much energy are they really saving by doing this practice?
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That sounds like more trouble than it’s worth! Plus, you have to remember well ahead of your shower to turn the water heater back on so it has time to heat up the water for you. If they are really that concerned about it, there is a tankless water heater that only heats up the water as you use it. It’s a box that mounts on the wall, and when you turn on the water, it heats the water that is going throught the coils, and not tons of gallons. And it shuts off automatically as soon as you turn off the hot water. So it is only technically on when you are turning on the hot water. Pretty much any house can be retrofitted for it. Just add a plug-it’s gas, but it has an electric igniter.
You can save alot with not having the hot water system running 24/7. Talk to an electrican, and see if they can put in a timer. I have one and it only runs for an hour in the morning and an hour at night – so showers are only run at certain times, but my power bill has decreased. With the timer you can set it for what times and lenght suits your household and also put it on maunal anytime you need extra. Hope this helps.
yep michelle is right–you can install one of these and save money on electrical bill,,also less water is wasted making the water bill less also ,,but a cheaper way does exist,,,installing a timer on the water heater–so as to cut on at a certain time before the hot water is needed,,they sell for bout 50 dollars