In today's economic and energy crunch it is important to make the necessary adjustments in your household to help save you some money and use less power to do your part for energy efficiency and of course your own financial savings.
A great way to get ahead, at least a little bit, already lies within your own power (pun intended of course). That is with your water heater. If you have the normal water heater that is common in today's homes, the ones that hold anywhere from 40 to 100 gallons of water and use either electric or gas to keep the water inside warm until you are ready to use it, then you already know that it uses energy even when you are not using hot water.
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The reason why this occurs is because your water heater needs to keep that water warm at all times so it is ready when you actually do need it. Now you could switch to one of those water heaters that heat it as you use it, but that could be quite costly. Instead use these tips I am about to give you and save some money.
Wrap It
For about to , depending on the size of your water heater you can go to your local Home Depot, Lowes, or home center and purchase a water heater wrap or blanket. This blanket is an insulated material, similar to what you would see as insulation in your walls that is wrapped around the heater to prevent and slow down the rate at which your water heater cools down.
It is very simple to do. Simply take the blanket and wrap it around the water heater as per the instructions that come with it. Make sure you cut out the square at the bottom of your water heater so the temperature gauge and door to the pilot light is still exposed, tightly fasten the tape that it comes with it and you are done. This will help keep the water inside warmer for a longer period of time without having to fire up the burner.
Turn it Down
One of the easiest things you can do is simply turn the temperature down. There is a setting on your thermostat on the water heater that has something called the "suggested" setting. This is either indicated by the word "suggested" (or another similar word) or by a large white line. If you set your temperature on that setting the water won't be too hot and won't be too cold. By reducing your temperature setting by just a degree or two you really won't notice a difference and over the long run you will save on your energy use and costs.
If all 300 million people in America implemented just these two techniques alone the amount of energy we could save would be extremely significant.
Make Your Water Heater More Energy Efficient Lowes Build