Savvy homeowners try to conserve energy when and where they can, while maintaining a standard of home comfort season to season. Water-heating systems are often overlooked for potential savings. They shouldn’t be, as up to 20 percent of your entire utility costs may be wasted through standby heat loss from the water heater tank -- constantly heating water whether it’s used or not. If you would like to cut this waste nearly in half, then simply insulate your water heater tank.
Wrap It Up
A cup of coffee stays hotter longer with a thermal sleeve around it. This is the same principal behind insulating your water heater tank. Wrap it with a blanket or jacket insulation that is specifically designed for water heaters. The blankets simply wrap around the tank, while the jackets slide down over the top, and may be sized to your model.
Insulating an electric tank is straight-forward. Cover the entire tank leaving a space only for the thermostat controls or panel. Gas tanks require a little more know-how. You do
not want to insulate the flue, the bottom drain, nor do you want to hinder airflow to the burner. Have a
heating and cooling pro do it if you’re not sure.
More Energy-Saving Tips
Follow these tips for a faster and more consistent supply of hot water, and save more energy.
- Lower the thermostat to 120 degrees. According to government stats, you’ll save about one percent water heating costs for every two degrees the temperature is lowered.
- Insulate the hot-water outlet pipe from the tank, and all accessible hot-water pipes in your home. This increases water temperature two to four degrees.
- Drain your tank twice per year. This will increase the lifespan of your tank, and improve its water-heating efficiency.
Remember, your water heater tank is on all the time. So, if you insulate your water heater tank, you are saving money all the time.
Call Russell’s Heating & Cooling today if you have any questions about water heaters, or any home comfort systems. We serve residential and commercial HVAC customers in Hampton Roads and the surrounding area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about insulating your water heater and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Russell’s Heating & Cooling services the Chesapeake, Virginia and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!