Improve Water Heater Efficiency

It pays to improve water heater efficiency. Gas and electricity are not cheap now a days. Squeezing every ounce of efficiency out of your appliances will really add up in the long run. Your water heater is an appliance that runs year round so improving the efficiencycan mean big savings. Here are four ways to save.

1. Drain your water heater

It is good practice to drain your water heater regularly. When water is heated it drops out minerals which form scale at the bottom of your water heater. The scale acts as an insulator, reducing heat transfer from the flame. This causes poor efficiency. Draining your water heater will flush minerals and scale out creating better heat transfer.

2. Insulate Water Heater

There are insulation jackets you can buy for water heaters. Water heaters are set to maintain a certain temperature 24/7.The water heater is constantly losing heat. Insulating the tank will slow down heat loss resulting in fewer heating cycles.

This follows the same principle as insulating the water heater. The pipes are also losing heat and insulating them slows the heat loss. Insulating the hot water pipes also results in faster hot water.

4. Upgrade your water heater

Water heaters are becoming more efficient just like every other appliance. If your water heater vents into a metal stack, then you can upgrade. Units with metal stacks are generally 80% efficient and units with PVC stacks are generally 90-96% efficient. That's a 10-16% improvement in efficiency on a appliance that runs year round.