How Can I Reduce My Water Heater Use Costs?
The requirement for a water heater has been increased in every household. A water heater is indeed necessary for our daily activities, whether it be a kitchen or bathroom. Everyone needs hot water to do several jobs from the start of the day till the end. But these water heaters apart from providing relaxation and relief, also increase your bill amount. Water heaters can become very expensive if not managed properly after installation. And every month bill, everything has to be under your budget; if not, it could drain most of your savings at once.
Studies have shown that almost 20% of the total household income is consumed by water heaters, and this ratio keeps on changing. However, there are the following ways through which you can save your money. You can avoid unnecessary spending on premature replacement with routine water heater maintenance services in Orange County.
Previously water heaters used to consume a lot of energy and money at the same time, but now, there are many water heaters available in the market, which work efficiently and save a large amount of your income. With new technology, you can save water by just making simple changes in your daily lifestyle. Hot water is an essential part of our daily life that needs to be managed very carefully to prevent unwanted wastage of water. Installing a good quality water heater will help you prevent overspending. But with the following changes, you can save more money.
Below is the list of methods through which you can minimize your water heater expenses:
1. Temperature
Everyone loves hot steamy baths during cold winter days. But other than winter, some people have a habit of bathing in hot water throughout the year. High temperature can lead to several damages to your heater. Also, the low water temperature can help you save up to 5% of the water heater bill, hence helpful in saving money. Lower temperature will also reduce the damage that happens to the water heater and consequently reduce the spending on water heater repair in Orange County.
Reducing the temperature will not only save your water bill but also help in so many ways. However, very hot water is very harmful to the skin. It makes the skin dry and irritated during winter, also high temperatures can lead to risky events like fire catching on the water heater, or it could lead to power down. High temperature also increases your monthly bill because it uses more electricity. So always set a low temperature for your water heater to avoid paying hefty bills.
2. Check For The Leaks
Sometimes due to water leakage, the heater stops working properly. In the worst case, it could lead to accidents. Always check whether the heater is leaking or not, and if there is any leakage, call the water heater services immediately to avoid any foreseen events. Also, water leakage can waste up to 250 gallons of water every month if ignored for a long time. You can save your water bills by just routine checking and maintaining them.
Leakage in the faucet also leads to the wastage of a lot of water every single day. So, you should avoid the faucet leakage, but it needs to get repaired as soon as possible by professionals to save the water. Water leakage in the heater room is also not a good sign because it could damage the electrical wiring in the walls and the floors and could be risky for the family members.
3. Reduce The Flow
Old faucets and showers have high pressure where the water flow is also very high. Change your faucets and showers to new generation showers because they reduce the flow of water. Also, their pressure is low, which will reduce your water usage. Hence, helping you in saving water heater bills. Old faucets also lead to leakage of the water, which will lead to an increase in your water bill.
4. Less Hot Water Usage
This might seem obvious in terms of saving water heater bills. But if followed properly, you can save a lot of money on just water heaters. Use less hot water and more cold water. However, this will be difficult at first! But once you get used to it, there is no way back. Reduce the usage of hot water for daily household work like for dishwashers use normal room temperature water, for washing clothes, for cleaning the furniture, vehicles and other household activities. If possible, try taking a bath with less hot water because studies have shown average showers that last for at least 8 min use up to 50 liters of water. This is an insanely high figure when talking about water and heater bills saving.
5. Use Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water can save a lot of energy and water at the same time. Tank-based water heater stores the water in a huge tank that gets cold or is not used for some time. Also, it takes lots of space in the room, and the maintenance is also very high as compared to the tankless water heater. A tankless water heater reduces energy usage and also runs on electricity. You can get water only when needed and don’t need to keep it on throughout the day.
6. Update Your Water Heater
If your water heater is more than 10 years old, you need to update your water heater as soon as possible. An old water heater can lead to maximum maintenance and repair charges as compared to the new water heater. A new water heater reduces the extra repairs charges. Also, since they are new, they use less energy and electricity. The water quality is much better and you won’t be facing any problems in the coming years. A new water heater is more efficient and effective as compared to the old generation water heater.
7. Insulate The Water Heater Tank
Insulate the tank to reduce the electricity, gas, etc. Insulating the tank prevents the heating of the tank and also turning on its own. Check the manufacturer’s manual for the instructions, and if there aren’t any instructions available, then touch the tank from outside. If it is hot, then your tank is not insulated.
8. Insulate Pipes
While insulating the tank, pay attention to the pipe, some pipes are not insulated from the manufacturer’s side and can lead to heat damages to the wall or wherever they have been fitted. Cover the pipe properly with good quality insulation material up to 6 feet for both hot and cold water pipes.
9. Drain The Sediment
Through continued usage, the water heater collects sediment inside the tank and heater. This build-up sediment needs to get removed from the tank and heater once every 6 months or better removed quarterly for better working. Sediments can make the water heater work hard and reduce the quality of water over time. It also leads to reducing the working capacity of the water heater and can make the inside machine jammed up. So, get our water heater services and reduce your water bills.
10. Install A Timer
Installation of the timer in a water heater is always a good idea because sometimes we heat the water and don’t use it. The timer will automatically switch off the timer when not in use and prevent overheating. A water timer will allow you to set the schedule of the water usage and prevent unwanted wastage. Installing a timer will also help you in saving the water usage bill and reduce the maintenance cost as well.
11. Invest In A Good Quality Water Heater
Sometimes to save money you end up buying less costly products but the quality is not very promising. Similarly, in the case of a water heater, if you will invest in a low-quality heater, then you have to spend money on its maintenance and repairs more frequently. But if you purchase a good quality water heater that is more efficient, it will save you from monthly repair and maintenance. They might charge more than the cheaper ones but work 10 times better and have so many features like an in-built timer, good quality insulation, the good life span of the water heater, automatic switch-off feature, and so many more.
12. Upgrade Your Old Appliances
If you use hot water for all your washing appliances, apart from your water heater, your washing appliances like dishwashers and washing machines also need to be upgraded. This is because old machines tend to use more water. When talking about dishwashers, they might not use much power energy. But when they become old, they use more water to work, and upgrading them will help you in saving your water heater bills.
Washing machines also use hot water, and if they are old enough, you need to upgrade them too to save your water heater bill. You don’t need to do it every few years, keep tabs on the machine whether they are working properly or not. Sometimes, small repairs can also help in saving lots of water, so keep checking your equipment once every month for better working.
13. Regular Maintenance
Once you have installed your water heater, don’t just sit back and relax. Your water heater sometimes required maintenance and repairs for some parts to work with the same efficiency. Regular maintenance and checking will also allow you to know the lifespan of your water heater so that you can make changes according to that.
Everything comes with an expiry date, and so does your water heater. If you feel like your water heater is not working properly like it used to be, it might be time to upgrade your heater. Connect to us and get our amazing services related to water heater maintenance in Orange County for your water heater. Do things that will prevent your heater from getting old and less efficient, like removing the build-up sediment, insulation, draining of water that is not in use, not excess heating water, etc.
14. Tubs And Buckets
Everyone loves to soak themselves in a hot bathtub for relaxing therapy, but tubs consume a huge amount of water, and to maintain the heat level, you need to fill it with steamy hot water. Try to avoid using bathtubs very often to reduce the water heater usage and use a bucket instead of small tubs. Two buckets of water are enough for a proper bath and if you want a hot steamy bath, then make a routine of once in 10 days or once in a month so that you don’t get your heater damaged due to frequent usage.
Conclusion:
With the help of the above-mentioned tips, you can save a lot of money and avoid unnecessary water bills if used properly. Maintaining the water heater is not an easy task and comes with great responsibilities. Therefore, if you don’t know how to tackle your water heater correctly, seek help from our proficient team. We provide water heater services within your budget and never charge any extra cost.
