Every minute of every day, the hot water heater in your home is working. That doesn’t mean that the elements are on, heating the water, but it is measuring the temperature of the water in the tank and, when needed, it’s turning on those elements to keep the water at the desired temperature.
Most homeowners don’t use their hot water for more than a few minutes every hour. A shower may last ten to fifteen minutes, on average. Depending on the size of the hot water tank and the size of your family, you may end up using hot water for an hour or two throughout the day.
Taking into account that there are 24 hours in a day, at most you might be using the hot water for 1/6th of the day. The rest of the time, the other 22 hours, the water heater will be alternating between remaining idle and keeping the water hot.
Every Time the Water Heater Turns on It’s Using Energy
While the hot water heater sitting idle isn’t going to use much energy, aside from any digital thermostat, when the water temperature drops below the established threshold, it’s going to turn on.
That uses electricity or gas, depending on the type of heating system you have in your home. That means when you’re not home, your hot water heater will continue to turn on and off. The colder that the temperature is outside, the colder that the basement or garage (where your hot water heater is) gets, the more often it will need to turn on.
Every time that the hot water heater turns on, it is costing you money. All for just a few minutes of hot water throughout the day.
The Usage will Depend on the Size of the Family
The usage that a hot water heater gets will certainly depend on the size of the household, or family. With more people at home, they will tend to use hot water more often. For a single person household, or couple with no children, they’ll use it less.
The Solution to Hot Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters provide a cost effective solution to hot water tanks. With tankless water heaters, the system will only turn on and consume energy when hot water is needed. The water is flash boiled through a special system.
Tankless water heaters are usually installed close to where they are needed most, such as a main bathroom or the kitchen.
To learn more about tankless water heaters and to save money on energy bills, contact McKinnon Heating and Cooling.