Cooperative Living August 2014 - 28

WI$E ENERGY U$E by James Dulley, Contributing Columnist
GIVE YOUR ELECTRIC
WATER HEATER AN
EFFICIENCY BOOST
Q.
A.
My 80-gallon
electric water heater
is getting old, but it
does not leak. Since it is old, I
imagine there are some things I
can do to make it operate more
efficiently. What improvements
do you recommend? ―Ron H.
Heating water is one of the
greatest contributors to monthly
utility bills. For a typical family of
four, it is not unusual for water
heating to consume 20 to 25 percent of the
total annual energy use.
An electric water heater is a very simple
device. It is basically a big insulated tank of
water with an upper and a lower resistanceheating
element. The lower element is the
main one used. When most of the hot water
has been used, the lower one goes off. The
upper one then comes on to supply hot water
more quickly since the water is drawn from
the tank top.
Even if you do not use any hot water, the
lower element will cycle on at times to make
up the heat lost through the tank walls (called
standby losses). Heat can also be lost through
the tank's piping, especially if the tank is without
heat traps. Your older water heater likely
just has a couple of inches of fiberglass insulation
between the glass-lined metal tank and the
external skin.
INSULATING THE WATER TANK
Place the back of your hand against the
water-heater tank near the top or on the top.
If it feels warm, it is losing heat, and adding
an insulation wrap kit would be effective and
save money. With a tall 80-gallon tank, the
insulation wrap may not reach all the way
down to the floor. This is okay because the
majority of the heat loss is from the upper
part of the tank.
If you have some old fiberglass wall insuAbove,
a new 12-year-warranty electric
water heater with digital controls.
Dulley's is set at 110 degrees.
26
lation, just wrap that around the tank with
the vapor barrier to the outside. Putting a
layer of reflective radiant barrier over the
insulation also helps. You can certainly install
your own insulation, but a kit from a home
improvement store is roughly $20, easy to
install and includes instructions (get one
with an insulating value of at least R-10). If
you DIY, it is more important to tape and seal
the joints in the insulation (where the insulacontinued
on pg. 28
Cooperative Living/August 2014
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES DULLEY

Cooperative Living August 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living August 2014

Cooperative Living August 2014 - 1
Cooperative Living August 2014 - 2
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