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5 Ways to Reduce Your Water Heater’s Eco Impact

Dhamer Plumbing • Feb 07, 2023
Water Boiler Tank — Lisle, IL – Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer, Inc.

You may have heard that you should try to use less hot water, set your water heater to a lower temperature, and perform other slightly inconvenient actions to reduce the impact your water heating has on the environment. Fortunately, modern technology has come up with a variety of ways to reduce your water heating usage without any inconvenience or discomfort.

So you don’t have to take slightly chilly showers or even shorten them; instead, take one or more of these four steps to reduce your water heater’s environmental impact without depriving yourself.

1. Reclaiming Heat From Water

Drain heat recovery systems are now available for home shower drains. These innovative devices transfer heat out of warm wastewater and place it into unused water so you have more clean, heated water. You don’t have to feel bad about taking long showers when you reuse the energy.

While the shower drain recovery systems may be the most popular and well-known, you can also install them on the drains attached to your sinks and appliances (such as washing machine and dishwasher). Using recovery systems on all your drains can help you get back  nearly half  the energy you use on water heating.

A side benefit of these systems is that they can provide a boost to the capacity of your water heater. After all, if you’re heating some of your water with your wastewater, that adds to the overall heated water available on top of what your water heater can provide. And once that reused heat goes down the drain, it can get reclaimed again.

2. Adding a Solar Setup

Changing the way your water heater gets energy can reduce its environmental footprint (and consequently yours) without reducing its capacity or usability. A solar setup, known as a solar domestic hot water system, simply collects the energy from the sun to heat your water.

Using solar for your water heating doesn’t mean you can’t get hot water on rainy days, though. Often, a normal water heating system, such as an on-demand water heater, is still used to provide hot water when the sun’s not shining. So once your solar setup is in place, you can simply use hot water as usual and experience a reduction in energy bills.

3. Installing a Tankless Heater

A solar water heater may not be for everyone, since it requires space on your roof and a certain amount of investment. But if you have a typical tank-style water heater, you can still save energy without a solar setup by simply switching to a tankless water heater. Also known as on-demand water heaters, these models heat water when needed instead of storing it for later.

Because a lot of heat is lost from the storage tank while hot water is waiting to be used, eliminating the tank can help you reduce your energy usage, perhaps by  $100 a year. And it doesn’t require any self-deprivation. On the contrary, in some cases, an on-demand heater can even increase convenience and hot water availability.

For example, if your hot water tank isn’t large, it could run out of heated water while you’re trying to fill your bathtub. An on-demand heater doesn’t run out, because it heats water at a designated rate.

4. Insulating Pipes and Tank

If you’re not in the market for a new water heater, you can still reduce the amount of heat wasted by your water heater tank and pipes. Simply have your plumber add insulation where appropriate to increase resistance to heat loss. Even if the water heater and hot water pipes are already insulated, adding better insulation can sometimes help.

5. Properly Maintaining Your Water Heater

When your water heater has gone through a lot of wear and tear, it can start to take more energy to provide hot water throughout your property. One way that you can reduce your carbon footprint and make your water heater more eco-friendly is by connecting with a team of plumbing experts for reliable maintenance services.

When you take the extra effort to ensure your water heater is working at optimal efficiency, you can reduce the energy consumption of your water heater and ensure that you are using the right amount of energy and only what is needed.

Thankfully, your water heater can show signs of wear and tear that can be hard to miss. If you have noticed that your energy bills are climbing, or it takes a longer time for your property to produce hot water, it may be time to conduct a routine maintenance service to make sure your water heater isn’t wasting any energy.

These strategies can provide increased eco-friendliness by reducing the overall energy footprint of your water heater, and all without depriving yourself of the amounts of hot water you normally use. For more information about water heaters that are both eco-friendly and convenient, get in touch with  Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer, Inc.  now.

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