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We moved into a condo with an electric water heater. It has a timer which I have "set" for 2 hours twice a day. There are only 2 of us. Any thoughts if this will save anything on our utility bill. Unfortunately we also have electric heat but this also has a programable thermostat.
I also have a electric water heater that was supposed to have a 6 yr guarantee.
So far it has been working over 10 yrs and going strong. They never burn out at the bottom.
Initally it had a sensor temp control that would not work right and ended up burning the heat element.
My solution was an external timer that I set to come on at 5 AM for approx 1-1/2 hrs ea day. I have my hot water for the morning...available for the day and sufficent enough for the late afternoon shwr. It is a smaller unit ( I'm one person) so do imagine size would determine the amount of hot water needed for the day and number of persons. Do think that it is still cheaper then a gas unit with a pilot light burning constantly.
Pluses are that the tank will last longer. A gas unit has the burner at the bottom which after a time weakens the tank and the leak starts. All gas heaters leak at the bottom after a few yrs.
Other then what I've discussed you are doing the right thing...the condo builders had the right thing in mind.
I've gone over this before here on CD and elsewhere with figures to back it up. Cutting off the power of a water heater for periods of time does NOT save any significant energy. At most, and under the worst conditions, you might save $10 per YEAR.
If you want more data to back up what I've said, do a search of this forum. I'm not about to repeat what I've said on it yet again.
If you want to save money on hot water - use less. Install a low flow showerhead and take shorter showers. Improve your dish washing techniques. If you have a way to pre-heat water going into the water heater, that can also help.
Harry, some areas have cheaper power at night. What you could do is set it to run between those hours and run the appliances that need hot water like your dishwasher or clothes washer during that time as well. You'll have hot water for the morning and just set it to not run for the rest of the day because most people don't need hot water during that period anyway.
If you can get on a schedule like that and have cheaper power at night you certainly can save some money.
Harry, some areas have cheaper power at night. What you could do is set it to run between those hours and run the appliances that need hot water like your dishwasher or clothes washer during that time as well. You'll have hot water for the morning and just set it to not run for the rest of the day because most people don't need hot water during that period anyway.
If you can get on a schedule like that and have cheaper power at night you certainly can save some money.
Yep. Off-peak billing. In some areas that has been superseded by electric company programs that allow the service provider to cut off power to water heaters, pool pumps and air conditioners for periods of time in return for a fixed lowering of the electric bill. Those types of programs can save decent money, but they do so by rebating reduced generation costs allowed by load shifting. Both require special equipment at the home and co-operation of the utility.
Pluses are that the tank will last longer. A gas unit has the burner at the bottom which after a time weakens the tank and the leak starts. All gas heaters leak at the bottom after a few yrs.
Other then what I've discussed you are doing the right thing...the condo builders had the right thing in mind.
Steve
Do please, watch such absolute statements.
One propane gas heater we have is 'new' at 7 years old and
one is 22 years old.
Unfortunately many homeowners are under the impression that water heaters are "maintenance free" until they finally just fail.... simply "fire and forget" appliances. And most vendors don't make any effort to educate buyers in contrast.
With all types of water tanks, they should be flushed regularly(annually is good) to clear out debris from the bottom of the tank. This increases efficiency, particularly for gas units, and not doing so can also accelerate decay at the bottom of the tank.
Special feed tube modifications are available for many water tanks to more effectively flush this debris, such as:
From a safety perspective one should also test and "exercise" the pressure/temp relief valve annually. Water heating tanks can explode, albeit rarely. But if one does, it can be catastrophic. The relief valve is designed to prevent this from happening, but it can get gummed up from disuse and either leak or stick.
One of the most ignored maintenance issues is the sacrificial anode rod. Most owners do not know that this even exists, what it is, or that it is a maintenance item that should be changed every few years. What's perhaps most disappointing is that this "maintenance item" is the heart of what keeps water heaters from rusting out prematurely, and as soon as the anode is exhausted, the tank begins to get consumed and one gets leaks.
If we ignore the desire to replace a unit for reasons such as increased efficiency, a well maintained(and well made) water heater should last many many years, even potentially decades if one is really lucky.
Another question but this time about a gas hot water heater in the attic. No easy way to periodically drain it unless we run a hose from the attic down to the second floor and out a window or in to the bathtub. What about its "care and feeding." Would anyone consider replacing it with a tankless water heater?
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