Want to spend less on hot water? Want to get more hot water from the tank to the faucet?

Here are 5 Things you can do to make your water heater more efficient…

- Wrap your water pipes with insulation. It’s easy to do. Seriously, if you see your water pipes, you can do this. Or if you can see your pipes and you have a 6 year old child, they can do this. You can get fitted insulation tubes at any big box hardware store.

- Set the thermostat of your water heater below 130 degrees. 130 degree water can scald you, so you wind up mixing cold water with it. So, why cook it that hot to begin with? 120 is about as high as you need to take it, lower is better. (I know, your neighbor will brag that “I have mine set at 140 degrees”. That’s b.s. They might have it set there but there never use it at that temp. Humans can only stand true 130 degree water for 30 seconds before third-degree burns occur. Only 6 seconds at 140 degree.)

- Wrap your water heater in a special tank blanket. Also sold at big box stores, this can save you 10-15% on your energy bill. Again, easy to install. Especially good if your water heater is in your garage or in an unfinished basement.

- Have a re-circulating pump installed. A pump will keep hot water in the area so that when you call for it, it will be there. It’s a little trickier if you have a tankless water heater, but it is nice bonus if you don’t.

Have a certified installer install a tankless water heater. Hot water only when you call for it, for as long as you call for it – your best solution. Ok, I will admit it won’t save you a bunch of money on your energy bill, but the life of the unit will be longer and your hot water will not run out. Especially nice if you like to take long, long hot showers or if you are 4

th

in line for a shower in the morning.

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