All of us are concerned with conserving energy; it's good for the environment and with the prices of energy continually on the rise, it's a good way to save money as well. One way to save on your energy cost and consumption is to replace your hot water heater. Installing a more efficient heater can save you a great deal of money.
Even the most efficient energy star-certified appliances use electricity to heat the water held in your water heater's tank. Given the size of the tanks used in most of these heaters, it naturally takes a while to heat this water; and no small amount of electricity. However, there are some alternative types of heater now available, so you have choices other than the traditional large tank heater.
However, before you go ahead and replace your current heater, you should give some serious thought to what type of heater best meets your needs. Especially if you have had children who have moved out since your current heater was installed, you may be able to do just fine with a smaller heater this time around.
You might want to think about installing a new heater which has a smaller tank than your old one if you find that you use less hot water than you used to. Smaller, more highly efficient heaters with 40 gallon tanks and even lower capacities are available. This small step alone can produce a significant savings on your energy bill. You could even choose one of the new high efficiency water heaters which has its heating coils on the inside of its tank - these can save you even more on energy costs.
However, if you'd like to reduce your costs but still need a large tank to meet your household's needs for hot water, then you might be able to heat your water with natural gas rather than with electricity. You'll have to ask your local utilities if this is an option in your locale, as well as what the costs would be. If the cost turns out to be lower, it's likely a change you'll want to make - and it can increase your home's resale value.
Another idea is a tankless water heater, or on demand heater. What a tankless water heater is basically a box with sets of coils running through it. One set of coils has water running through it, and the heating coil wraps around them. As the cold water flows through the chamber, it is heated up to temperature, and comes out as hot water. Electric heaters typically provide hot water at 2-5 gallons per minute, and slightly higher using propane or natural gas.
Tankless heaters have the advantage of being much smaller than a traditional heater, being small enough to install just about anywhere they are needed. The drawback is that since they provide a lower volume of hot water than do tank-style heaters that it can be difficult to use hot water for a shower and a dishwasher at the same time, for instance. An easy workaround for this problem is to simply install more tankless heaters in order to meet your home's hot water needs.
If you're having a new home built, then you can see significant savings on your energy costs by using multiple heating systems for your hot water. For example, you could install a passive solar water heating system to provide hot water during the day to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of using your tankless system. You can also greatly reduce your hot water usage by replacing your current faucets with low flow style faucets; this can greatly reduce the demand on your hot water heater and keep your costs lower.
Find more information on Water Heater options and the top trouble shooting water heater tips - with local service in the MD, VA, DC area, visit: http://www.vitoservices.com
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