Hot Water Tank Usage

Some people have asked HZG whether they should go to a larger hot water tank due to the volume of usage in their household. One of the best responses came from Home Energy Magazine. I will briefly review the answer and include my thoughts...

If you're trying to minimize the cost of providing the hot water services, there are other options to consider prior to tank size.

1) Reduce demand by using energy saving shower heads and hot water fixtures.

2) Washing clothes and dishes at the lowest temperature that is feasible. This should let you turn down the water heater thermostat, saving more energy by reducing standby loss.

3) If you are hand washing dishes, don't run the water at the same time you're washing. Wash all the dishes, then rinse them.

4) If you use warm water to brush your teeth, don't run the water until it's time to spit.

All of these combined will save on energy, reduce the volume of warm water - and save you money.

Incidentally, Mrs. HZG has used to use hot water for white clothes. Now, the temperature rarely is ever set past warm. Cold is used with booster detergents (Borax, for example). I can't tell the difference -

Experiment on your own and see if the above works for you.

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