Water Heater

  • Be sure to place the faucet lever on the kitchen sink in the cold position when using small amounts of water; placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it never reaches the faucet.
  • Drain a quart of water from your water heater every three months to remove sediment that can slow down heat transfer and lower the efficiency of your heater.
  • During warmer months, turn you water heater off when you're gone longer than a weekend.
  • If you heat with electricity and you have an unshaded, south-facing location (such as a roof) on your property, consider installing a solar water heater - they save energy and are good for the environment.
  • If your water heater is more than seven years old, consider buying a new one - today's models are more energy efficient, and the savings will continue throughout heater's lifetime.
  • Keep your showers short to save hot water - with a regular shower head, just a one- or two-minute reduction can save up to 10 gallons of water. You can also use an energy-efficient shower head to maximize savings.
  • New heat pump water heaters use heat from air to heat your water - and they use 30 to 50% of the electricity of standard electric resistance water heaters.
  • Repair leaky faucets promptly - a leaky faucet can waste gallons of water in a short time.
  • Take more showers than baths, and keep the showers short. In the average household, bathing uses up more hot water than any other water-related activity. You use 20 to 25 gallons of water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.
  • Wrap the tank with the proper insulation for maximum efficiency, but be careful not to cover the thermostat.