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Water Heater Tips to Help You Save Energy
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Conserve Water. Your biggest opportunity for savings is of course to use less hot water. In addition to saving energy (and money), cutting down on hot water use helps conserve dwindling water supplies. A family of four each showering 3-5 minutes a day can use about 600 gallons per week- that's the equivalent of a three-year drinking water supply for one person! Water-conserving showerheads and faucet aerators can cut hot water use in half. Your local hardware store will have a large choice of energy efficient shower heads and faucet aerators to choose from and self installation is usually quite simple. That family of four can save 14,000 gallons of water a year along with the energy required to heat it.

Insulate Your Existing Water Heater. If your electric water heater was installed before 2004, installing an insulating jacket is one of the most effective do-it-yourself energy-saving projects, especially if your water heater is in cool unheated space. The insulating jacket will reduce standby heat loss-heat lost through the walls of the tank-by 25-40%, saving 4-9% on your water heating bills. Water heater insulation jackets are available from most home supply stores and generally sell for around $10. Make certain you read and follow directions carefully when installing an insulation jacket.

Insulate Hot Water Pipes. Insulating your hot water pipes will reduce losses as the hot water is flowing to your faucet and, more importantly, it will reduce standby losses when the tap is turned off and then back on within an hour or so. A great deal of energy and water is wasted waiting for the hot water to reach the tap. Even when pipes are insulated, the water in the pipes will eventually cool, but it stays warmer much longer than it would if the pipes weren't insulated.

Lower the Water Heater Temperature. Keep your water heater thermostat set at the lowest temperature that provides you with sufficient hot water. For most households, 120°F water is fine (this is generally about midway between the "low" and "medium" setting). Each 10°F reduction in water temperature will generally save 3-5% on your water heating costs. When you are going away on vacation, you can turn the thermostat down to the lowest possible setting, or turn the water heater off altogether for additional savings. With a gas water heater, make sure you know how to relight the pilot if you're going to turn it off while away.

Winters can be cold in Washington, DC Maryland and Virginia so taking advantage of these useful tips can help reduce your energy bill. If you feel you don't have the time or ability to install some of the items we've mentioned give us a call and we'll have a trained plumbing technician come out to provide the installation. We proudly serve all of Washington DC, Chevy Chase, Md. Potomac Maryland, Silver Spring MD., Columbia, MD., Laurel, MD., and Gaithersberg, MD. Howard, Prince Georges, and Ann Arundel counties in Maryland and Arlington, Fairfax, Reston, Falls Church and the surrounding communities in Northern Virginia.

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