Water heating is the third
largest energy expense in your home.
It typically accounts for
about 16% of your utility bill. There are four ways to cut your water
heating bills: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water
heater, insulate your water heater, or buy a new, more efficient water heater.
A family of four, each
showering for 5 minutes a day, uses 700 gallons of water a week; this is enough
for a 3-year supply of drinking water for one person. You can cut that amount
in half simply by using low-flow aerating showerheads and faucets.
Water Heating Tips
• Install aerating,
low-flow faucets and showerheads.
• Repair leaky faucets
promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water
in a short period of time.
• Lower the thermostat on
your water heater; water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high
temperature settings, but a setting of 120°F provides comfortable hot water for
most uses.
• Take more showers than
baths. Bathing uses the most hot water
in the average household.
You use 15–25 gallons of hot water for a
bath, but less than 10
gallons during a 5-minute shower.
• Insulate your electric
hot-water storage tank, but be careful not to
cover the thermostat.
Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Insulate your natural gas
or oil hotwater storage tank, but be careful
not to cover the water
heater’s top, bottom, thermostat, or burner
compartment. Follow the
manufacturer’s recommendations; when in doubt, get professional help.
• Insulate the first 6 feet
of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.
• If you are in the market
for a new dishwasher or clothes washer, consider buying an efficient,
water-saving model to reduce hot water use.
• 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.
• 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.
• Although most water
heaters last 10– 15 years, it’s best to start shopping for a new one if yours
is more than 7 yearsold. Doing some research before your heater fails will
enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.
Long-Term Savings Tips
• Buy a new
energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard
water heater, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the
appliance. If your current water heater is electric, consider switching to a
natural gas water heater if gas is available.
• Consider installing a
drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE study showed energy
savings of 25% to about 30% for water heating using such a system.
• Consider demand or
tankless water heaters. Researchers have found
savings can be as much as
34% compared with a standard electric
storage tank water heater.
If you heat water with
electricity, have high electric rates, and have
an unshaded, south-facing
location (such as a roof) on your property,
consider installing a solar
water heater. The solar units are environmentally friendly and can now be installed
on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house. More than 1.5
million homes and businesses in the United States have invested in solar water
heating systems, and surveys indicate over 94% of these customers consider
the systems a good investment.
Solar water heating systems are also good for the environment. Solar water
heaters avoid the harmful greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity
production. During a 20- year period, one solar water heater can avoid over 50
tons of carbon dioxide emissions. When shopping for a solar water heater, look
for systems certified by the Solar Rating and Certification
Corporation or the Florida
Solar Energy Center.
Windows
Windows can be one of your home’s most attractive
features. Windows provide views, daylighting, ventilation, and solar heating in
the winter.
Unfortunately, they can
also account for 10% to 25% of your heating bill. During the summer, sunny
windows make your air conditioner work two to three times harder. If you live
in the Sun Belt, look into new solar control spectrally selective windows,
which can cut the
cooling load by more than
half.
If your home has
single-pane windows, as almost half of U.S. homes do, consider replacing them.
New doublepane windows with high-performance glass (e.g., low-e or spectrally
selective) are available on the market. In colder climates, select windows that
are gas filled with low emissivity (low-e) coatings on the glass to reduce heat
loss. In warmer climates, select windows with spectrally selective coatings to
reduce heat gain. If you are building a new home, you can offset
some of the cost of
installing more efficient windows because doing so
allows you to buy smaller,
less expensive heating and cooling equipment.
If you decide not to replace
your windows, the simpler, less costly
measures listed below can
improve their performance.
Cold-Climate Window
Tips
• You can use a heavy-duty,
clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape
clear plastic film to the
inside of your window frames during the
cold winter months.
Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce
infiltration.
• Install tight-fitting,
insulating window shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.
• Close your curtains and
shades at night; open them during the day.
• Keep windows on the south
side of your house clean to let in the winter sun.
• Install exterior or
interior storm windows; storm windows can reduce
heat loss through the
windows by 25% to 50%. Storm windows should
have weatherstripping at
all moveable joints; be made of strong, durable materials; and have
interlocking or overlapping joints. Low-e storm windows save even more energy.
• Repair and weatherize
your current storm windows, if necessary.
Warm-Climate Window
Tips
• Install white window
shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
• Close curtains on south-
and westfacing windows during the day.
• Install awnings on south-
and westfacing windows.
• Apply sun-control or
other reflective films on south-facing windows to
reduce solar gain.
Long-Term Savings Tip
• Installing new,
high-performance windows will improve your home’s
energy performance. While
it may take many years for new windows to pay off in energy savings, the
benefits of added comfort and improved aesthetics and functionality may make
the investment worth it to you. Today, many new window technologies are
available that are worth considering. Glazing materials (the glass part of the
window) now come with a variety of selective coatings and other features;
frames are available in aluminum, wood, vinyl, fiber glass, or
combinations of these
materials. Each type of glazing material and frame has advantages and
disadvantages.
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