If buttoning up your Rochester Hills home for comfort and energy savings is important to you, be sure to give your water heater system a second look. You may find a treasure trove of potential energy savings. Use these five tips as your how-to guide:
- Wrap it up: The water heater is always “on” in regards to maintaining temperature. This results in standby heat loss, as stored water is heated and reheated 24/7, all year round. In fact, standby heat loss accounts for up to 75 percent of total water-heating energy consumption. Wrap your storage tank with blanket or jacket insulation and reduce standby heat loss by up to 45 percent.
- Check the temperature: It is common practice for manufacturers to preset the temperature to 135-140 degrees at the factory. Lower the thermostat to 115-120 degrees. Lowering the temperature 20 degrees saves about 10 percent in total water heating costs, or one percent per two degrees lowered.
- Install timers: Installing a timer is a very effective way to save energy during periods you are not using hot water, such as overnight, working hours and vacations. You can experiment with the settings to find the best schedule for your household.
- Keep it clean: Cleaning the storage tank improves heating efficiency and helps the tank last years longer. Flush the tank at least two times a year. First, turn the electricity off to the tank. Turn off the inlet pipe. Attach a hose to the valve. Make sure you have a safe and convenient place to extend the hose to drain.
- Insulate hot water pipes: Insulate the inlet hot water pipe with an insulation wrap or sleeve, starting at the tank and extending three or more feet. This simple tip supplies hot water faster, increases temperature 2-4 degrees at the tap and saves energy.
When performing do-it-yourself maintenance, use extreme caution, and call a heating and cooling pro if you are unsure or have questions. For even more water heater energy savings, contact the water heater experts at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. Since 1945, we’ve provided quality service and installation to homeowners in the Detroit-Metro area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!