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Residential Hot Water Systems - Ways To Beat Huge Energy Bills |
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Heating water for the home is a major cost for many people. It is estimated that it is approximately 20% of the monthly utility bills. This can mount up, especially as traditional energy sources that are used to heat the water increase in cost. This article will run you through a few types of residential hot water heaters that may save you some money on these monthly costs.
by AdrianFletcher
Heating water for the home is a major cost for many people. It is estimated that it is approximately 20% of the monthly utility bills. This can mount up, especially as traditional energy sources that are used to heat the water increase in cost. This article will run you through a few types of residential hot water heaters that may save you some money on these monthly costs.
Traditional home water heaters are powered by electricity or natural gas. The hub of the system is the water tank. It is a large cylindrical metal tank that is probably hidden away somewhere in the garage or basement. Inside the metal casing you will find a glass bottle that has insulation covering it. This is where the hot water is stored. The casing is there to protect the bottle from any mishaps.
An electric element or a gas line that ignites a burner is positioned at the bottom of the tank so that it can heat the water. This normally occurs when the temperature of the water drops to a certain level (by the way, an energy saving tip is to turn the temperature of the thermostat that controls this process down. Many people set it to 140 F when 120 F is sufficient).
The major disadvantage of this system, apart from that fact that it uses two sources of energy that are becoming more expensive each year, is that it must constantly heat the water.
For instance, if the water is not used, some of the heat will be lost to the environment depending on the level or quality of insulation. This means more electricity or gas is used to re-heat the water.
This is the cost of having hot water at the turn of a faucet. Many people think this cost is unnecessary and an inefficient use of energy resources.
The tankless water heater is the alternative to the traditional heater. It does as it name suggests and provides hot water on demand.
The key component of this system is a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is still powered by traditional energy sources, like electricity or gas, but it is only activated when hot water is needed.
The pipes that move the water to the faucet are wound round the exchanger or passed through it. As the water passes through these pipes it is heated, giving on demand hot water.
You will use less electricity or gas using this type of system because it is only used when needed rather than topping up hot water that may not be used. A tankless system can cost more than the other system but should last longer as it gets less use.
Another option that is gaining popularity and will continue in this way is to add solar power to your heating system. Solar hot water systems are really just the same storage and heating device " so it could be a tank or tankless water system - but the energy source comes from the Sun rather than via a utility company.
Solar hot water systems can be one of two types. The first is the passive system. This is relatively easy to install but may not fulfill all your hot water needs. It can act as a way to preheat water before it gets to the main hot water system. This can decrease the amount of work for the traditional system.
The active system is a way to generate electricity via solar panels positioned on the roof or some other spot that gets plenty of sunlight. The electricity is then used to power the traditional water tank or the heat exchanger in the tankless system. This can save on energy bills as the electricity that is created is free after initial costs are taken away.
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