Why Water Heater Efficiency Standards Should Concern You

So what do you need to look for should you come to the point where your home needs a new water heater? And why should water heater efficiency standards concern you?

Watch for the End

There are some warning signs that a water heater is approaching the end of its life. It might start behaving erratically, and simply not doing its job, and then you might be unfortunate enough to come home and find that during its death throes, your water heater has voided itself, flooding water all over your nice rug, and possibly your big screen TV. If you think your water heater might be on the way to water heater heaven, a qualified plumber can certainly assess your ice and let you know if you need to start thinking about replacement.

Your hot water not lasting as long as it once did is also another key sign of a water heater in peril of dying, so if this happens to you repeatedly, it can be a very good idea to get your system looked at by a licensed professional. While your hot water heater might not be the most energy efficient option, repair is still far more of a cost effective option than replacement!

The Real Cost of Ineffective Water Heating

Once we reach a certain age, we’re certainly conscious of the cost of hot water, and while there’s nothing as heavenly as a long soak in a hot tub, many of us are still mindful of how the cost of all that hot water usage can add up. In fact, hot water can account for up to 25% of a household’s energy consumption– so those hot baths really do cost you!

It’s not only your wallet that feels the effect of all that hot water usage- Mother Natures does as well, since an average electric hot water heater can produce up to four tonnes of greenhouse gas each year, which is comparable to the amount of greenhouse gas produced by a car. Water heater efficiency standards are of vital importance for your own financial wellbeing, as for their impact on the planet.

What are the Alternatives?

In many instances, a simple replacement of an electric water heater isn’t so straightforward, since the US Department of energy plans to regulate the types of heaters that can be installed. The environmental concerns over electric water heaters have led to restrictions about the energy consumption levels of newly installed ices.

While the technology isn’t available to all households, water heater efficiency standards are much higher when it comes to water heated by natural gas, and this is a fare more cost effective option for the householder, as well as producing far less greenhouse gasses than their electric hot water heater counterparts.

While even the most advanced hot water systems can’t be “tricked” into working more efficiently as the boys in Peep Show clumsily attempted, but a new energy efficient system, particularly those powered by natural gas, or even by solar or wind energy (if that’s available to your home) doesn’t need to be tricked, since they do their job efficiently, cleanly and quietly.

Water heater efficiency standards are something that should be important to all homes, due to the financial and environmental implications. We often take hot water for granted, and only notice it when it’s suddenly not there… or if we come home to find that our hot water heater has died and left us with an unwanted indoor swimming pool.