Simple Tip to Save Money on Hot Water

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Simple Tip to Save Money on Hot Water

Submitted by: frugalgramma 02/09/2009 10:36 AM

When you are running water for something - dishes, bath, washing machine,whatever - if the water is too hot, don't turn up the cold water - turn down the hot water! Most people solve the problem by turning up the cold water. You pay money to heat the hot water, so use less of that. Simple tip to remember and get in the habit of doing. =:)

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Comments:

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This will work if you have good water pressure. Heating the hot water is the least of all your energy drains.

Posted by Rebecca on February 11, 2009 11:44 PM

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This makes no sense. I'm not aplumber but I know how plumbing works. Water preasure is what pushes the water out of your faucet. If you are filling you sink for dishes you still need the same amount of hot water to have it at your desired tempeture so turning down the hot may only slow down how fast your sink fills. If your faucet is running at full blast and if turning down the hot doesn't change the amount of water coming out of your faucet turning up the cold will do the same thing because the ratio of hot to cold is the same for both. Now if you end up using less water because you decrease the flow of water out of your faucet that runs down the drain like when you wash your hand this could be a savings.

Posted by Mike on February 19, 2009 12:35 PM

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You can reduced your water bill easy and free!! (Well, so to speak) When my family showers, they have the water on in order to reach the correct temp. they like.So, I started keeping a bucket under the bathroom counter for them to use until they get in. The bucket catches the otherwise wasted water, I have reduced my water bill considerably and since its clean, can be used for anything you need it for. I have watered plants, used it to mop the floor, clean my porch, scrub the tub even. I have even used it for the dogs water bowl! After all, its clean water that would other wise be down the drain.

Posted by Terri Wear on February 20, 2009 9:49 PM

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Glad to hear from a 'gramma' - my mom and other pioneers sure had some ways to save~!

Posted by m s cotton on February 21, 2009 11:46 AM

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Thanks Terri! I know my bathroom is far away from the water heater so takes a while to warm up the shower. This tip will help make and save time to clean the sinks, floor, etc!

Posted by anonymous on February 21, 2009 11:49 AM

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Turning down the temp on the water heater will help. It's when hot water is not being used and the water heater is having to heat the water to a higher temperature lets say all night long is where the savings comes in.

Posted by Jack on February 25, 2009 1:02 PM

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So then if you could put your water heater on a timer and turn it off from say 10PM to 6AM, then you would have 8 hours of energy savings. Has anyone tried this? Can it be done?

Posted by ThrifT on February 25, 2009 1:06 PM

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I have used a timer on my electric hot water heater for the last 30 years. Since my tank is insulated and in the basement it doesn't take long to come back to temperature when the timer clicks on. It is on from 5am - 8am (first shower is at 5:45)to allow for AM showers and then from 6PM - 8PM for evening use (there is residual hot water in the tank through the day for washing hands and general cleaning if necessary. I rarely have to use the overide to heat up water.

Posted by Debbie on February 27, 2009 2:13 PM

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To ThrifT:
YES absolutely this works (for electric hot water heaters), but think more agressively than that. I have a timer on my water heater, and only run it for morning showers (5:00am-7:00am), and then from 6pm-7pm at night (for dishwasher).

Editor's Note: To read the rest of this comment in full, including 7 additional energy saving tips, click here: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_1074_a-timer-for-your-water-heater-other-energy-saving-tips.html

Posted by Rhonda on February 27, 2009 2:44 PM

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What about the extra time it takes to reheat the water in the water heater? Wouldn't it use more energy to have fluctuating temperatures than keeping it steady around the clock?

Posted by Ramie H on March 08, 2009 8:54 PM

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I live alone + I have to wash my face...and have a cup of tea to wake up!...so instead of running the hot water to upstairs, i just heat a little more water for tea + to wash my face!

Posted by Cathe on March 26, 2009 2:34 PM

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As soon as we finish showers, I turn off the water heater at the fuse box.

For a quick spit wash, wet the washcloth, zap in the microwave 15 seconds. good to go.

Posted by anonymous on May 21, 2009 6:04 PM

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Those of you with long distances for the water to travel to point of use need to insulate your pipes. Packets of insulation strips are relatively cheap, but I go even cheaper. I buy end of season swimming pool noodles with the hole in them. Split one side the entire length of the noodle, slip it over the hot water pipe and duct tape the cracks. It is about 1/4th the cost of commercial pipe insulation and is thicker.

Also, to those of you who have timers on your hot water heaters, our power company offers a time of day rate for residential water heating. It is 1/2 the normal rate. They cut the water heater on at midnight and heat until 6:00 am. While a family of 6 lived here, we never ran out of hot water.

Posted by anonymous on January 05, 2010 10:23 PM

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