Save on hot water heating costs at home.
Probably the biggest energy consumer in the home is your geyser, or water heater. Heating water for your household needs uses a considerable amount of energy, especially if you have one of those hot water storage heaters in your bathroom or ceiling. Hot water storage heaters are the traditional "geyser" in South African homes.
If you use a bit of common sense, a little technology, and a measure of discipline, you can save quite a bit on your energy bill. So here are a few energy saving tips and ideas to help decrease the water heating costs in your home.
Save hot water = Save Energy = Save Money
Saving energy, where hot water is concerned, invariably includes ideas and tips about reducing the amount of hot water used. So we can hit two birds with one stone! Saving hot water saves energy AND water.
I did warn you that we're going to look at common sense water heater energy saving tips. So, lets look at the realities of hot water in your home:
The amount of energy required to heat a fixed amount of water is determined by a simple formula:
The energy required = Water flow rate of water x the specific heat constant x the number of degrees.
So, according to this formula, if we double the water flow rate, and want to keep the temperature constant, we must double the energy supplied. This remains true, whether our energy source is in the form of electricity, gas or any other energy type.
Stop the drip
A dripping tap wastes water, but a dripping hot water tap wastes energy too. Simply repairing leaks in faucets and showers can help you save hot water energy. A leak of one drip per second, if we assume that a drop is 3ml of water, can come to a whopping 324000ml, or 324 litres per month! Buying and installing a new washer for that leaking tap suddenly seem less of a waste of time and money, doesn't it?
Oh, and of course, HOW we use hot water also makes a huge difference. Letting the hot-water faucet run, while shaving or brushing your teeth, as opposed to closing the water tap, is like letting your money flow down the drain. The water heating costs for your home will be higher.
Shower Water
Showers are a great place to think, I know. But standing for half an hour, with scolding hot water blasting on your face or back is a sure way to waste water-heating energy. Limiting the amount of time you spend in the shower saves energy spent on heating water at home.
Small Cost Energy Savers
Some of the common sense home energy saving tips do require a small investment of time and money, not just common sense. But they will generate home energy savings, which will justify the original investments.
Install low-flow energy saving showerheads, in the place of that old watering can showerhead. Low-flow energy saving showerheads allow you to still take a lekker shower, but will use a lot less water. Low-flow showerheads can provide a strong spray, while reducing hot-water consumption for bathing by up to 30%. This is a big energy saving for the year.
Faucet aerators can also save significant amounts of hot water energy in your home. The idea behind faucet aerators is making water seem much more than the actual water flow. Air gets mixed with the water. So, what seems like a thick stream of water is actually closer to a trickle. And we love our thick streams of water, don't we?
Don't Bath!
But faucet aerators wouldn't do much good, if you use it to accumulate water for a bath. Personally, I've never really seen the attraction of having a bath, for the purpose of getting clean. I am a man, and often quite dirty. So, for me, having a bath sure seems like taking an uncomfortable swim in a puddle of my own filth!
No, unless having a bath involves a forest of candles, some champagne and a beautiful blond, you wouldn't catch me in one. But in order not to gross out my blond goddess, I'd probably be rather clean already...
But if you are one of those folks who prefer having a bath, please don't fill it up to the brim! And, for energy saving purposes only, it might also be a good idea to share your bath with someone...
Energy Saving Tips
As mentioned before, saving energy, when it comes to heating water for your home, is not rocket science. All you need is a bit of common sense, and the WILL to save energy.
