How to Save Hot Water

Posted on: 6 June 2016

The growing population has put pressure on the environment, and the available natural resources are unable to sustain the trend. This has necessitated the need to conserve these resources for use by more people. Two of these critical resources are water and energy. Further complicating this scenario is that about a quarter of an average household's energy is used to heat water. Most of this hot water is used in the bathroom and kitchen. Although solar is gaining popularity as a water heating method, here are a few extra pointers on how to save hot water:

  1. Reduce Water Wastage – Water can be wasted by leaving taps running, faulty installations, or taking unnecessarily long showers. Ensure all valves are closed after use, even if it has to step out for a moment or while shaving in the shower. All faulty installations need to be fixed as soon as possible. Take note of how long each family member takes in the shower and reduce it accordingly. Evening showers are most affected since one tends to take a time to relax after a long day at work. A shower should not take more than 10 minutes at most.
  2. Reduce Energy Wastage – Energy can be wasted by overheating water or heat loss from poorly insulated external pipes. If your water heater has a temperature controller, do not set it to the maximum. Turn it down a few degrees and this will save your energy. Ensure all external pipes and storage tanks are well insulated to prevent heat loss.
  3. Install a More Efficient Water Heating System – An efficient system includes showers and taps that use less water per minute as well as a heater that uses less energy to heat the water. Install a three star-rated shower head that uses less water (as low as 9 liters per minute). Although regulations do not require water heaters sold in Australia to have an energy rating, consult manufacturer's datasheet to check how much power in Watts the water heater uses before purchase.
  4. Install Heat Pumps for water– A heat pump extracts heat from its surrounding to heat water. It is fed by either a passive solar gain or conventional heat source. The passive solar gain uses sunlight to heat water without any external energy source. This ensures a household's hot water needs are met without spending a dollar on energy.

For more information, contact a heat pump company.

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