Electric Heating Systems

When you have to make a choice about a new water heater, it can often mean that you just discovered the great fun of taking cold showers in the middle of the winter, compliments of the newly broken water heater. Its not a time that encourages you to do a great deal of research, but my suggestion is bite the bullet and spend a little time, it can avoid a newer set of cold showers shortly down the line.

While its not going to improve your attitude, you will need to contact your homeowners insurance and your home warranty company. Both may be required to help you cover the cost of the replacement water heater and they may have some control of what you have to purchase for replacement.

Now comes the choice, an electric water heater, a gas/propane water heater, electric tankless water heater or a gas/propane tankless water heater. Once you make that choice there are several choices of features that are relatively new in water heaters. Your climate can affect your water heater so there are considerations for the purchase.

Your first choice, the electric water heater or gas/propane water heater, and the considerations are a few. The first consideration is does your have a gas/propane service already installed. If not, the costs and time for installation may cost more than and electric water heater, over time. In light of the increased costs of propane, there may be no savings over and electric water heater, though most sources still include that as a selling point.

All appliances have to provide information on their capacities. Check to see how big your water heater is currently, and if you need more gallon capacity, often the home warranty and homeowners insurance wants to replace with the same size, but they will allow you to get a bigger gallon capacity and pay the difference.

Other features that have become available since your water heater was last replaced, are stirrers, electronic ignition, sealed air intake systems, pipe insulation, additional tank insulation, insulation jackets and new drainage valve configurations. All which are safer for you and increase the life of your water heater.

New Choices in Electric Water Heater and Gas/Propane Water Heather

Finally, you need to decide if you want a tankless water heater. The tankless models come as electric tankless water heater and a gas/propage tankless water heater. The decision here is more than electric water heater and gas/propane water heater, as above the choices are much the same; however, with the tankless system you have to have one for each water outlet. Thus if you have two showers you need to tankless systems. You need one for your kitchen, and anything else which draws from the water heater currently. There are big advantages to a tankless system, and as the name suggests, there is not tank. There is no loss of water while waiting for the water to “warm up”. That really means to have the hot water travel through the pipes to the water outlet. They don’t maintain a full water of water a full temperature all day and night. The costs savings can be extensive and should be addressed.

Solar energy promises to usher in a new era of energy, energy that is free for everyone in the world to use, is completely clean, and is effectively infinite in amount. Within the next century, humanity may end energy conflicts and air pollution while creating millions of new jobs to help empower all of society. While small in the scope of things, a solar water heater system is one tiny step to achieve that goal. Originally more of a novelty than anything else, solar energy is becoming commonplace, although it may still be slightly too expensive for some home owners to afford.

Deciding What's Right for You

Until solar water heater systems are within one or two hundred dollars of conventional water heaters, they likely won't see widespread appeal. Right now, you would be hard pressed to find solar water heater systems within four hundred dollars or so of conventional water heaters, although you won't find any outlandishly priced heaters either that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. Still, the upfront cost is too much for many folks to stomach, even though they would be saving hundreds of dollars each year, and a solar water heater system would pay itself off in energy savings within three to four years. That's because these heaters use little to no electricity, depending on the model and your location geographically. You can expect to easily shave ten percent off your energy bill each month, but many folks don't have the disposable income to invest several hundred more dollars up front for one of these systems. It's a shame too because the savings over the years would add up to thousands of dollars.

However, a myriad of solar water heating devices are available beyond drinking water. A pool solar water heater uses the sun's energy to warm up your pool to a comfortable eighty plus degrees, which makes it much more enjoyable at all times of the day. How many times have you jumped into the pool after dinnertime only to find yourself freezing? A pool heater solves this problem by keeping your pool a constant temperature at absolutely no cost to your energy bill.

Everyone can benefit from a solar water heater system, unlike pool heaters which will only benefit pool owners. If you can afford the extra several hundred dollars right now, go for it! You will love the savings over time (several hundred dollars each year). You'll save money over a conventional heater within two to three years, and it will pay itself off within five to six. For new and current home owners alike, it's never too early to make the switch to a solar water heater system.

For home improvement projects, many home owners opt to install the improvements themselves instead of paying somebody else to do it for them. Some do it because they want to save money. Others do it simply because they enjoy working with their hands. Regardless, if you're looking to build a solar water heater, there are bountiful options available for you to choose from. Some save more money than others, and your options are really opened up because you aren't stuck with whatever a particular company has in stock.

Basic Parts and Installation

The most basic parts required to build a solar water heater are of course the water heating tank, solar panels, and piping to connect everything together. Building a solar water heater isn't a particularly difficult endeavor, but it's more time consuming than anything. In fact, the most difficult aspect of building a solar water heater is proper positioning of the solar panels for the most efficient conversion of solar heat into usable heat. Positioning them incorrectly can result in less than optimal results or very poor results overall.

Also, be prepared to do a bit of sawing and drilling to connect the solar panels outside your home to the solar water heater system inside. As long as you have basic home improvement skills, you'll be just fine undertaking this type of project by yourself. Connect the panels and water heating tank using pipes (filling them with an antifreeze liquid if you live in an area which freezes during the winter). Also, if your solar water heater has a backup power supply, connect that to the power grid to ensure continuous operation in the case of insufficient solar rays on any particular day. Those steps are integral to building a solar water heater, although your particular kit may have slight variations and additional steps.

You can save hundreds of dollars up front by choosing to build a solar water heater yourself instead of paying a construction company to do it for you. You might also ask, “Why go through all this work when I can much more easily install a conventional water heater in less time?” A solar water heater is more environmentally friendly because it uses much less (if any) electricity, so you can easily shave ten percent or more off your energy bill. Building a solar water heater is also the smart choice for the environmentalist due to its efficiency and empowerment from renewable energy.

Modifying the water heater temperature can actually be used in order to save energy. Water heaters are known to be the most energy-consuming appliances in your home, and you can be spending up to $400 in electric fees annually just through the use of water heaters alone!

There are several ways for you to save up on energy, and consequently lessen the amount on your utility bills. Among these is purchasing a water heater timer or insulating materials. If you are not ready to dip into your pockets, there is also an easy way to minimize your water heater energy consumption. Just change the water heater temperature.

How does this work?

By simply lowering the thermostat setting on your water heater, you can save critical amounts of energy. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit reduction in water temperature, you can save up to 5% of energy.

Did you know?

Some manufacturers calibrate water heater thermostats at 140 degrees Fahrenheit even when the average household only requires a water heater temperature setting of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you lower your temperature setting by 20 degrees Fahrenheit, you can be saving up to 10% of energy. Using 140 degrees Fahrenheit as your temperature setting can also pose some serious risks and hazards, such as scalding.

Lowering your water temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit can also delay the process of corrosion and mineral buildup in your water heater and pipes. This contributes in making your water heater last longer and function at its optimal efficiency.

How do I operate the thermostat?

You can refer to the instructions found in your water heater manuals as to how the thermostat is operated. Usually, the thermostat dial for a gas storage water heater is located near the bottom of the tank of the gas valve. For electric water heaters though, thermostats can be found behind screw-on panels or plates. Remember that before opening the panels, make sure to shut off the electricity to the water heater. This is to prevent you from getting electrocuted. An electric water heater may also have two thermostats - one for the upper and lower heating elements.

After locating the thermostat and adjusting it to a lower water temperature, take note of the beginning temperature and the adjusted temperature displayed on the thermostat dial. This will serve as your future reference. Afterwards, proceed to checking the water temperature at the tap farthest from the water heater if the temperature has indeed dropped according to your specifications. Most thermostat dials are inaccurate so you might need to perform several adjustments before you finally get the right temperature.

Miscellaneous Tips on Using your Water Heater

If you plan to be away from home for several days, turn the thermostat down to its lowest setting or completely turn off your water heater. You can switch it off by turning off the circuit breaker to it.

For dishwashers without a booster heater, use water temperature with the range of 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit for maximum cleaning.

As a whole, if you want to cut back on electricity costs, but you're not ready to invest in water heater timers and insulating materials, you can do so by simply lowering down the water heater temperature setting.

Find the best offers on water heater timer. Compare water heater prices online.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/save-energy-and-money-through-modifying-water-heater-temperature-393946.html

Do you feel frustrated every time, when you take a shower and the hot water runs out? And your energy bills are huge? Then it is possible that you need to look for new water heaters. An instant water heater can solve both problems for you.

Advantages of instant water heaters

An instant tankless heater has several advantages when compared to a conventional water heater:

It saves you energy

It heats water as you use it, as much as you use it and never runs out

It takes very little space

Common water heater usually has a tank that holds 40 to 80 gallons of water, keeping it hot at all times, day and night. As you use the hot water for showers, doing dishes and so on, it is replaced with cold water and heated. When you are not using hot water and even when you are not home all together, hot water just sits in the tank and as it waits to be used it loses the temperature. So the heater reheats water in your tank every now and then. This means loss of energy for you.

Instant water heaters don't have a tank. For this reason they are also called tankless water heaters. As soon as you turn on hot water the unit turns on and heats the water, typically at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. So this type of heater doesn't use energy until the faucet is turned on. It produces hot water instantly and if that temperature is too hot for you simply regulate it by turning on the cold water. When you are finished and turn hot water off, the instant water heater shuts down straight away, using no energy. This can cut your energy bill almost by 50% every month.

Energy is not the only thing you save, a tankless heater will also save you water. You know how you always have to let the cold water run first, before the hot comes out? With an instant tankless water heater the water is hot from the start, so there is no need to run the water to before it turns hot.

When room is a consideration, a tankless heater also offers a solution. Comparable to a traditional 40-60 gallon water tank, an instant unit is very small. It can be easily installed in a small home or apartment.

Industrial instant water heaters

While tankless heaters are most used in residential homes, great energy savings lead to their commercial use as well. And more water you use more you save, for example a house using 120 gallons of water a day with a 40-gallon hot water tank typically spends $112.25 per month on heating water. For the same usage, an instant tankless water heater will cost you only about $26.95 per month.

Cost of instant tankless water heater

Initial cost is the main disadvantage of a tankless heater. It costs much more than the conventional one. But as you can see, the energy savings will compensate for this very soon, probably in the first 6-8 month of using your new heater. And if the cost is a concern, look for discounted instant water heaters online. With internet retailers you can always get your tankless heater cheaper.

Buying a tankless water heater

You can get instant heaters from same stores that sell other types of water heaters. As their popularity has grown recently, you will not have any problems finding a decent instant water heater. Another option is too look online. Sometimes you can save quite a lot by buying a water heater from internet retailers.

For more information and price comparison of instant water heaters check Heaters Guide . We provide buying tips for all types of water heaters.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/instant-water-heater-what-are-the-benefits-155663.html