ENVIRONMENTAL CENTS: Hot Water Heating
Hot water heaters are a major energy user in most homes. Here are some tips for lower their energy draw, and lowering your energy bill.
By Bruce Saller
COLUMNIST
According to the Department of Energy, hot water heaters are the third largest user of energy after home heating and cooling. In our area, the average household spends $464 annually heating hot water (calculation below).
Here are some things that you can do to save on energy costs.
Set the hot water heater thermostat to 120 degrees.
Install an insulating blanket around the hot water heater. This can reduce your heating costs by about 10% or $45/year.
Don’t turn on the hot water in a sink if you are only using it for less than about 20 seconds. The hot water will not reach the sink by that time.
Consider replacing the unit with a heat pump hot water heater (HPHWH). A HPHWH uses 20-25% of the energy of a conventional electric water heater saving $348 to $371 per year. A HPHWH does cost about $1000 - $2000 more than a conventional water heater, but there are federal tax credits of 30% of the total cost available (including installation) up to a $2000 credit (credit expires 12/31/25). Dominion Energy is also offering rebates up to $400. You should be able to recover the additional cost very quickly between the rebates and the annual savings. HPHWHs do require at least 100 sq ft of open space since they transfer heat from room air to the water. You may be able to install a grill or louvered doors if your water heater is in a closet or small room.
Hot water energy calculation:
It takes 1 British Thermal Unit (BTU) to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree. A gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds, and there are 3.412 BTUs in a Watt-Hour(WH). Using the average incoming water temperature for Richmond of 53 degrees, heating 1 gallon from 53 to 120 degrees (67 degrees) takes 67 x 8.34 BTUs / 3.412 BTUs/WH = 163.8 WH (.1638 KiloWH). The average household uses 64 gallons of hot water daily, and electricity costs an average of 12.13 cents per KWH. Average annual cost = 64 x 365 x .1638 x $.1213 = $464.14.
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The heat pump water heater sugestion is solid. At 20-25% of conventional energy use, the payback period looks realy attractive especially with the federal tax credit expiring soon.