The Canadian Family

The energy used to heat water for the home is often a major cost for many people. Some estimates suggest it can account for 25% of all utility costs over a month. This can vary depending on the time of year but making this system more efficient is a major way to save money. This article will touch on a couple of methods that may help you save money by making your home hot water system more efficient.

Traditional home water heaters are powered by electricity or natural gas. The hub of the system is the water tank. It is a large cylindrical metal tank that is probably hidden away somewhere in the garage or basement. Inside the metal casing you will find a glass bottle that has insulation covering it. This is where the hot water is stored. The casing is there to protect the bottle from any mishaps.

Generally underneath the glass bottle (and sometimes above it) are an electric element or elements if you are using electricity or a gas burner if you are using natural gas. These turn on automatically whenever the water falls below a certain temperature that you can set on the thermostat.

The major disadvantage of this system, apart from that fact that it uses two sources of energy that are becoming more expensive each year, is that it must constantly heat the water.

For instance, if the water is not used, some of the heat will be lost to the environment depending on the level or quality of insulation. This means more electricity or gas is used to re-heat the water.

This is the cost of having hot water at the turn of a faucet. Many people think this cost is unnecessary and an inefficient use of energy resources.

The tankless water heater is the alternative to the traditional heater. It does as it name suggests and provides hot water on demand.

It does this with a device known as a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is heated by an electricity or gas heater (just like the traditional system) but it is only used when water is about to be used.

Part of the plumbing of the home is wound around the heat exchanger. As the water passes through the plumbing around the heat exchanger, the water is heated.

This type of system can reduce electricity or gas usage. However, it is generally more expensive than the other system but will last longer as it’s not used as much.

A better alternative is to install a solar hot water heater. A solar hot water system is really the same as the other system when it comes to storing the water. It merely applies to the energy source that provides the heating.

There are two types of solar water systems. The passive system has been around for a long time. In some cases it can provide all your energy needs for hot water but generally it acts as a way to preheat water that is then heated via the traditional method.

An active system uses solar panels to create electricity. This can be used to heat the water you use. An active solar power system with an efficient heating storage system can save you plenty on water heating bills.