Install A Water Heater Timer And Save Energy! | Home Improvement

By AnnTriune
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Installing a water heater timer is the answer to your increasing electric bills. Water heaters use more electricity than any other appliance found at home. A usual family of four will probably spend at least $400 per year in electricity bills due to heating water.

Usually, a typical water heater keeps gallons of water hot all the time, 24 hours a day, regardless of whether it is used or not. This is the reason behind high utility bills. In order to save money, you can consider installing a water-heater timer.

What is a Water Heater Timer?

A water heater timer is a device that you can attach to your water heater. With the water heater timer, you can set your water heater to perform its function only when you need it.

How is this considered a factor in saving energy?

Usually, hot water is only used for about two hours in the morning and two hours at night. This hot water can be used for showers, laundry, and doing the dishes. Instead of heating water over and over again during the course of the day, you can actually control when and how often your water heater functions. By doing so, you can save up to 12% of energy.

How does a water heater timer work?

Water heater timers come with manual buttons that allow you to set your water heater on/off anytime during the day. Some water heater timers even offer up to 24 on/off settings for each day so you can tweak and polish your water heating schedule.

If you are the type that does not follow any everyday routine schedule, there are more advanced water heater timers available that come with a programmable function. If your schedule varies everyday, you can use a digital water heater timer, which offers seven-day programming. This means you can set a different schedule for your water heater for each of the seven days in the week.

For those with schedules varying only in the weekend, there are less expensive water heater timers available that come with a weekday and weekend schedule.

Digital timers also have a built-in backup that saves your schedule even when there is a power outage. Through this, you do not have to reset your schedule every time a power outage occurs. Water heater timers require minimal, if not zero maintenance.

How can I further lessen my utility bills?

Contact your utility company and inquire if they offer a demand management program. This means different rates are charged depending on the demand for electricity at that specific time. Lower rates are charged when there is low demand (off peak hours), and higher rates are charged when demand is high (on peak hours). If you are able to set your water heater timer to function during off peak hours, then you can further cut back on electricity costs.

If you're really concerned with the growing amount you are spending on utility costs, consider having a water heater timer. It is cost-efficient, cheap, and very easy to use. It is also a very good investment, since a water heater timer is able to pay for itself in the first two to three months of use, showing you how effective it is in cutting back energy and consequently, electricity costs.

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