The water heater is an essential plumbing appliance that provides your home with warm water for hand-washing, bathing, and cleaning. If you notice elevated hot water charges on your utility bills, you may wonder how to reduce this monthly expense. Here are a few steps that will conserve water and energy to keep bills reasonable.
4 Ways to Decrease Your Hot Water Bill
1. Upgrade the Fixtures
Showerheads emit an average of 10 gallons of water per shower, while kitchen and bathroom faucets produce about two per minute. You can save up to 60% on hot water expenses by replacing these fixtures with low-flow models. Choose showerheads and faucets with built-in aerators, which introduce air bubbles into the water stream to restrict flow without affecting the pressure.
2. Repair Leaks
Faucets with leaky hot water valves will cause spikes in the utility bill. Faucets that drip one droplet per second may waste up to 3,000 gallons of water annually, which can drastically raise your monthly expenses. Fortunately, a plumbing company can fix these leaks by replacing the worn washers or gaskets.
3. Insulate the Tank
Though new water heaters have adequate insulation to meet updated energy efficiency standards, older models may become cold easily and work harder to keep the liquid warm. This uses more gas or electricity, which can increase the utility bills. Have a plumbing professional insulate the tank with sheets of foil and fiberglass to raise the internal temperature and prevent it from using excess energy.
4. Install a Tankless Water Heater
Water heaters with tanks consistently refill after you run the faucets and fixtures. This means they use energy to keep the liquid warm until you need them, which results in high bills. Tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand, using only the energy necessary to provide heated water, leading to long-term savings after the installation.
If you want to perform these upgrades to reduce your utility bills, turn to John Lockwood Plumbing in New York. These professionals provide reliable plumbing installations, repairs, and replacements to homeowners throughout Monroe, Wayne, and Ontario counties. Visit the website to learn more about their services, or call (585) 265-0736 to request an estimate.