3 Simple Tricks To Use Less Hot Water This Winter
All homeowners should try to reduce their hot water usage this coming winter. Snow hasn’t arrived just yet, but you can bet it will get pretty cold later this year. As a result, you need to do everything in your power to decrease your energy bills. Part of this will involve getting your house ready for winter, but we’ve already covered this in a previous post!
One thing people tend to forget about is hot water usage. You will need hot water throughout the winter months, yet there are ways to use significantly less than normal. From here, you will massively lower your energy bills. Let’s look at three simple tricks to try:
Turn the temperature down
We’ll start with an obvious trick, yet it’s one so many of us still forget about. Turn the temperature down when you are showering or using hot water. There’s really no need for the temperature to be too high – in fact, it is bad for your skin if you shower in scorching hot water! Realistically, you should have the water at just slightly above warm for a comfortable winter shower that isn’t too hot.
As a result, less energy is needed to heat the water up, so you use less hot water every time you shower – simple!
Install a low-flow showerhead
Having a showerhead that fires out a jet of water may seem like a good thing, but it’s actually really bad for your energy usage. You see, high-flow fixtures will use up so much more water whenever you shower. As a result, you use more hot water, which translates to more energy being wasted.
In reality, your shower won’t be any worse if the water came out slower. Pretty much all plumbers can help you install a low-flow showerhead to use less water and waste less energy. You might be able to do this yourself, but if you start to struggle, call in the pros.
Insulate your water pipes
Do you have any exposed pipes in your home that carry water to faucets or showers? If so, it’s a really clever idea to cover and insulate them. You can find foam insulation covers that fit around the pipes to keep them nice and warm.
Why does this help you use less hot water? Well, in the winter, the temperature drops, meaning pipes get cold. So, as water moves through the cold pipes, it takes longer to heat up. If the pipes are insulated, you should get water up to the required temperature a lot faster. This means you aren’t running water for over a minute waiting for it to heat up. Thus, less water is wasted and more energy is saved. You could also do a similar thing with your water heater; cover it in insulative material so it works more efficiently.
Just like that, your home will use less hot water and save so much energy this winter. You’ll still have comfortable hot showers whenever you need them, but you will see a dramatic decrease in both your energy and water bills by the end of the season.