Washington State Conservation Fact Sheet

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'r_......" .,.. " ~ ~ HOT WATER CONSERVATION ~ JOHN SPELLMAN ~ GOVERNOR Fact; Sheet; . ~ WASHINGTON STATE ENERGY OFFICE 400 East Union / Olympia, Washington 98504 206 / 754-0700 WASHINGTON ENERGY EXTENSION SERVICE Written by Randy Acker and Steve Denner Illustrations by Sam McJunkin Most Americans take hot water for granted. Only when we don't have hot water, such as when the water heater must be replaced, do we give it much consideration~ Heating water uses so much energy that it deserves considerable attention. A water heater uses as much energy as all other household appliances combined, !lOlj is second only to space heating in. terms of household energy consumption. An average American household uses 20 gallons of hot water per person per day. At this rate, a family of four would use over 29,000 gallons of hot water per year. Using 1982 energy prices, this would cost the average family between $140 and $250. Looking at these costs and considering that energy prices will continue to rise, it is a good idea to consider how energy use can be reduced. Most households can easily reduce the energy they use to heat water by 25 percent with reductions of up to 50 percent being entirely possible. Efforts to reduce the energy used to heat water should be directed towards three basic areas: reducing demand, increasing system efficiency, and using alternatives to your existing water heating system. While the first two areas are closely related, and certainly the first area affects the second, they still offer very distinct options in terms of the actions you can take to reduce the .energy you use. REDUCING DEMAND FOR HOT WATER Reducing the household's demand for hot water simply means using, and therefore heating fewer gallons of hot water. This can be achieved by altering a few habits and making some minimal changes in the plumbing system. . Shower vs. Bath A typical bath takes 15 to 25 gallons of hot water. Depending on your water pressure, a 5-minute shower under an older style shower head will consume about 10 to 15 gallons of hot water. By taking shorter showers it is possible to realize significant energy savings during the course of p year. A good way to compare the amount of water used in a shower to that of a bath is to close the drain before showering. If your tub is less full after a shower than it would have been after a bath, then you know you can save hot water by showering. If it's just as full, or even fuller, you may want to stick to baths or consider some additional changes. One thing that can be done is to turn off the water while soaping up and then turn it on again for rinsing. Bear in mind, though, that this requires a warm bathroom in order to remain comfortable. ' '. . Reducing Water Flow There are three basic ways the amount of water flowing through a fixture can be reduced. They include adding showerhead flow restrictors to existing fixtures, installing new fixtures, or installing a pressure reduction valve for the entire plumbing system. By far the simplest and least expensive measure you can take to reduce water flow is to install showerhead flow restrictors. These small devices are usually made of metal or plastic. They are available from many local utilities at no charge and require only a wrench for installation (Figure I). These flow restrictors fit about 90 percent of the showerheads commonly in use and can cut . the water used in a shower by up to 50 percent. ."" '" " -- - ~. -~- ~ ~ -