Washington State Conservation Fact Sheet

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.,. . . Turning Off Your Water Heater You may have heard that you can save energy by turning off your electric hot water heater if you won't be using your hot water for more than two days. You really will save only a few cents by doing this. It's probably not worth doing unless you won't be using your hot water heater for a week or more. You can turn off the heater by breaking the circuit at the fusebox or circuit breaker. When you return home you'll have to wait several hours for the water to reheat. . Flue Dampers When your gas water heater isn't operating, heat can still be lost up the flue through convective air flow. One way to stop this loss is by installing a damper in the flue. Such a device can reduce energy consumption by about 10 percent. While most dampers that are commonly used on boilers or furnaces are motorized, there are some designed specifically for gas water heaters that use thermally activated bi-metal leaves. These cost about $40 to $60 and don't require any wiring. AL TERNA TIVES TO YOUR EXISTING WATER HEATING SYSTEM ..~ , . Solar Water Heating ",' -I:, ' " In Western Washington, a solar water heating systElm can provide up to 50 to 60 percent of your annual hot water needs. The extent to which a solar water heating system contributes to your individual household's needs will depend on your pattern of hot water use as well as the type of system you install. Breadbox water heaters, which are black tanks in glazed insulated boxes, are simplest and least expensive of the solar water heating systems. Collection and storage of heat are in the same unit and therefore no pump is required. Such systems are frequently built and installed by the homeowner for $200 to $400 with commercial units also available in the $350 to $1,000 price range. A second type of solar water heating system is the thermosiphon. Like the breadbox heaters, it doesn't require a pump. In a thermosiphon system, the collection and storage take place in separate units. To transfer heat from the collectors to the storage tank, the thermosiphon relies on natural convection. Costs for a thermosiphon, system will vary according to the materials used and the number of collectors installed, but gElnerally will be in the range of $600 to $1,500 for a do-it-yourself project. Active systems use pumps to transfer heat from the collectors to the storage tank and are widely available commercially. Prices for an installed active system will range from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the number of collectors, type ahd size of storage tank, method of freeze protection, and cost of installation. Generally you can expect that the cost of an active system will break down to about one-third for collectors, one-third for hardware, and one-third for installation. One very important consideration to keep in mind when looking at the cost of a solar water heating system is the availability of a 40 percent renewable resource federal tax credit. This credit can be claimed on your federal income tax if the solar water heating system is installed on your primary residence. . Heating Water with Wood If you regularly use a woodstove to meet part or all of your home's space heating needs, it may be possible to get addi tional use out of your stove by using it to also heat your domestic hot water. While wood water heating won't meet all of your hot water needs throughout the year, it can supply a significant portion of your hot water needs during the heating season. Frequently, - . --. - .~~~~ - - 6 ""