Below you’ll find several ways to lower your monthly, hot water bill and conserve energy.
· Conserve – Just use less hot water.  Use cold water to wash clothes as much as you can.
· Turn your hot water thermostat down.  Many hot water heaters are set at 150 degrees F which is probably hotter than necessary.  You’ll make your hot water heater run more efficiently if you reset the thermostat to 115-120 degrees F.
· Insulate your hot water tank.  Insulation will help prevent a lot of energy loss.  Make sure you don’t cover up the gas heating elements or you may have a fire on your hands.
· Purchase an energy-efficient hot water heater.  Water heaters have a life expectancy of 15 years.  When yours needs replacing, consider investing in an Energy Star certified hot water heater to increase the energy efficiency of your home.
· Insulate water heater pipes.  All that’s necessary here is insulation of the first six feet of your hot and cold water pipes that connect to your water heater.
· Remove all sediment from your water heater tank.  Sediment obstructs heat transfer; removal of this sediment every three to four months will increase the efficiency of your hot water heater.
· Install heat traps.  Heat traps will prevent heat loss from stored hot water in your tank.
· Install a drain water waste heat recovery system. These systems are known to save 25 to 30 percent on water heating energy when installed on your hot water heater.

With a bit of effort, you can easily improve the energy efficiency of your hot water tank.  Contact a licensed plumbing contractor for help, more information or an update on suggested ways to conserve water.
 
Blog Post provided by: Alpharetta Hot Water Heater Plumbers

A solar water heating system, in theory, is a very simple water-heating system that consists of a solar collector and a storage tank.  You have two choices of the type of solar water heating system to use: 1) an active system with circulating pumps and controls, or 2) a passive system without circulating pumps and controls.

The foundation of a solar water heater is a well-insulated storage tank with an additional outlet and inlet connected to and from a solar collector. Systems come in a two-tank version and a one-tank version. If you chose a two-tank system, the solar water heater works to preheat water that, after heating, enters your conventional water heater to pump that hot water into your home.  A one-tank system combines the back-up heater with the solar storage unit in one tank but basically works the same as the two-tank version and takes up less space. 

If you chose to go with an active solar water system, you can install either a direct circulation system which works to pump circulated household water through collectors into your house and works well in locations where the temperature rarely dips below freezing; or an indirect circulation system that has a pump that circulates a non-freezing, heat-transferring fluid through collectors and a heat exchanger into your house and works well in freezing climates.
 
As for passive solar water heating systems, these are usually less efficient than the active ones and less expensive as well.  But, on the plus side, passive systems are more reliable and last longer than their active counterparts.

For a passive system, you have two basic choices, integral collector-storage or thermosyphon systems.  The integral collector-storage passive system works best in climates where freezing doesn’t occur often and in households in which the occupants use their most significant amount of hot water in the daytime and evening.  With a thermosyphon system, the water flows through the collector by warm water rising in the solar take as cooler water sinks. Consequently, the collector in a thermoshpon system must be installed below the storage tank so the warm water rises into the tank.  A reliable system, a thermoshpon system requires the use of tanks that are heavy, are more expensive and a bit of a challenge to find a location where they fit, if you have a steep roofline on your house.

While solar water heating systems are fuel-efficient, you will need a backup system for times of increased demand of hot water or on cloudy days.  Most people who use a solar system have a conventional storage water heater as a backup.  In fact, solar system installation companies typically offer packages that include a backup system to accompany their particular solar water heater products.

Post provided by:  Water Heater Plumbers Marietta, GA

While today’s choices for a water heater are greatly improved over previous choices, you still have several factors to consider when making your selection.  And, since the life expectancy of a water heater is approximately thirteen years, your choice is an important one.

Gas vs. Electric
Your first choice is to select whether you want a gas water heater or an electric one.  Sometimes the choice is easy as your home may only be equipped with the capability of one or the other; otherwise, you must pay for whatever tasks must be performed to set you up.  If your home is not set up for natural gas or natural gas is not available, the choice is an easy one.  If you do have a choice though, remember, that as a general rule, water heated by electricity is less expensive that the same amount of water heated with natural gas.  However, if propane gas is available as an option, then be aware that propane gas water heating is less expensive than electric water heating.

Type of Water Heater
One you decide the gas versus electric question, you’ll want to consider the type of water heater to purchase.  A qualified licensed plumber can also provide advice and assitance when choosing a hot water heater. These choices include:

 Solar water heaters, which use the sun’s heat for hot water provisions;
 Tankless coil and indirect water heaters, which use uses your home’s space heating system to heat the water;
 Heat pumps, which do not heat water directly but move heat from one place to another;
 Demand water heaters (tankless or instantaneous), which directly heat water without a storage tank; or
 Conventional storage water heaters, which have a storage taken filled with hot water.

Selecting the right water heater to meet your needs is more complicated than it might seem.  Do a little research on the front end of your purchase and you’ll find of a water heater that will meet your needs and satisfy your pocketbook.

Post provided by: Plumbers Lawrenceville GA