If you feel as though your hot water bills are overwhelming, there are a few steps you can take to minimize this nagging problem. You can reduce your hot water bill if you use your water carefully and only use it when you really need it. If you are smart, you will be able to learn how to save money in other ways too.
One of the best ways to save money is to install a tankless water heater unit. This new technology enables the unit to heat the water instantly when the water is used, so there is no heat lost like with a regular water heating tank. A conventional hot water tank causes the heat to be lost into the air, making it have to work harder to heat up the water to keep it at the right temperature.
With a tankless water heating unit, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of hot water on demand with no heat loss. This will cause a significant reduction in heating bill costs, which can be over 30% less a month. While the tankless units can be more expensive, especially to install, they are a great way to save money in the long run.
If you are unable to go tankless, there are different kinds of products available to help insulate your water heating tank. Keeping the heat in the tank from escaping, is a great way to save money, because the heat will remain constant and reduce the fluctuations that end up costing so much energy. Insulating kits are available at your local hardware or home renovation company. A solar water heater is also a great alternative and will heat up more than enough water for you to use. Obviously it will only work if you have sufficient sunshine to warm your water on a consistent basis.
Make sure that you call in a repair service if you find your heater running on and on, or hear a popcorn kind of sound eminating from within. The sound is probably mineral buildup which can be removed easily by a service technician. If you have a service warranty plan on your system, this preventive maintenance just might be covered at no extra cost to you. By doing these little things you can ensure that there is lots of hot water for bathing and showering even for a large family, with enough left over for the launtry as well.
Of course, one of the more common and obvious ways how to save money on your hot water bill is to simply use less hot water. There are a lot of different ways to do this, and again they are readily available at a hardware store. Look for low-flow shower heads, and if you and the kids in your family are prone to taking long showers, consider making them shorter. It just makes sense in your pocketbook and for the good of the environment.
You can also employ another way to save money on your hot water bill by washing your clothes in cold water. Sometimes it is hard to get your clothes as clean in cold water as in hot water, but there are special detergents that are scientifically developed to work better in cold water. This way you can have clean clothes while still saving money on the hot water bill. By doing a few things differently, you can feel good about your use of precious energy.
Nick Messe is president of Lead Frog LLC. In the Atlanta area look for
Atlanta plumbers on the web. The Honest Plumber provides a full range of plumbing services for homes and businesses in Atlanta and across Cobb County - http://www.thehonestplumber.com
