Water heating
Approximately 12-20% of your annual energy usage goes to producing hot water for
cooking, bathing, laundry, dishwashing and miscellaneous other uses.
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Install aerators or low-flow faucets in your bath and kitchen to reduce hot water consumption up to 35%.
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Repair leaking water faucets and make sure faucets are turned off completely.
A dripping hot water faucet can leak hundreds of gallons a year, adding to your
water heating costs.
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Check for leaks around your water heater by looking for standing water. Also,
put your ear to the water heater to listen for water running when no faucets are
on; this can indicate a cracked or broken water line.
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Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Turning the thermostat down to
120 degrees from 140 degrees can save up to $7 per month.
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Install a timer on your water heater if you are on SRP's optional
Time-of-Use price plan. This will keep the
unit from cycling on during on-peak hours. If you are able to set your unit to cycle
on during off-peak hours, then you may want to consider purchasing a larger unit,
which would allow you to access a larger reservoir of hot water supply during on-peak hours.
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Take short showers instead of baths. A five-minute shower typically uses less than
10 gallons of water, while a bath uses 15-25 gallons.
