Did you know that heating water is the second-largest consumer of energy in the average Australian household? The only bigger consumer is your heating and cooling system.
Saving money on heating water isn’t hard to do, it just requires a bit of thought. Here we’re going to give you 5 ideas that don’t require you to change a thing about your daily life to enjoy savings on your energy bill.
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Install Low-Flow Showerheads
A low-flow showerhead is a fabulous invention. You can take the same luxurious shower for the same amount of time and use less water. A standard showerhead might use about 15 litres per minute, but a low-flow one with a 3-star rating will only use about 6 litres.
That’s quite a big difference! The best part is that ingenious minds have figured out how to use less water without destroying the quality of your shower.
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Lower the Thermostat
A lot of different water heaters will have a thermostat on the exterior of the system. This allows you to easily set the temperature of the water. Keep it between 60 and 65 degrees Celsius. The lower you go, the less energy is used to heat the water.
But don’t you need your water to be hot to kill germs? Sure, but 60 degrees is plenty hot enough to do that. Any higher and you’re needlessly wasting energy and might even risk scalding yourself.
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Always Run a Full Dishwasher
Dishwashers are masters at conserving water and leaving your dishes sparkling clean. However, they will use the exact same amount of water to wash one dish as they will for fifty dishes. Always wait until your dishwasher is full to the brim before running a load.
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Wash Clothes on Cold
Your clothes will get just as clean in cold water as they will in hot. They’ll also last longer and bleed less color in the wash. The only exception to this might be underwear or other items that you want to ensure are extra clean. But, for the most part, you can turn your laundry machine to warm or cold to effortlessly save on hot water costs.
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Use Your Hot Water System During Off-Peak Hours
Our final tip is to take advantage of off-peak times if you’re running an electric system. The tariffs are lower at different times of the day. You can set up your hot water system on a dedicated circuit that will only access the controlled load rates.
If this system isn’t possible to set up, try using a timer instead. Set it to allow the HWS system to function when the rates are lower for another great way to effortlessly save on water heating costs.
Save on Autopilot
Did you think that saving money on your hot water bills would take a lot of effort? Not really, it just means getting smarter about how and when you use your hot water. Try these tips and see how it goes.