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Posted on 04/14/2015 2:44:39 PM PDT by smokingfrog
First it was light bulbs, now Uncle Sam wants your water heater to be more efficient - and it could cost you a lot more money to comply with the new rules.
Angie's List founder, Angie Hicks, said new regulations will save money in the long run. “Your water heater is the second largest consumer of energy in your home right behind your heating and cooling system. So, any improvement in your water heaters efficiency is going to pay dividends in your monthly utility bills.”
But it will cost you more in the short term, if you need to buy a new one once the new rules take effect in April.
“It’s going to be bigger. It’s going to be taller. It’s going to take up more room. A lot of water heaters are installed in a very tight quarters. So, all of these things could be a major impact if you are replacing a water heater after April in 2015,” said water heater expert, Chip Cochran.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcactionnews.com ...
A lot of homes in our area are in the attic. The new water heaters are too large to fit through the attic door.
You’ll have to install a tankless water heater or two smaller ones.
They just turn off certain devices, not the whole house. They can turn off just the water heater for no more than an hour at a time and they rotate the outage across their customer base. My large water heater tank ensures we’ll have hot water available.
I also have a “dual fuel” furnace, which can heat with either electricity or propane. During peak periods they can turn off the electric heat for an hour or so, in which case the furnace switches to propane.
In return for allowing the cooperative to control my water heater and furnace I get a lower cost per KWH. During this past winter I paid about $.071 per KWH for heat. I have two electric meters and my rate for other stuff (lights, cooking...) is higher than for the furnace and water heater.
The codes intertwine.
If you don’t need it, don’t replace it.
When the energy efficiencies are calculated, tankless will probably prevail, especially if you have 3 phase power available.
Be sure to have the anode rod replaced often.
That can more than double the life of the tank, and is very inexpensive. If you’re a DIY, it will be less than $20.
When the first one is pulled out you can see about how long it is until the next replacement is needed
Oh no!
as a retired plumber I can tell you, I fully recommend fire on demand heaters.
Time saver - if you just turn off the water inlet/outlet, you do not have to drain it to change the elements. A small rag will handle the little bit of dribble as long as you don't dally.
For those who aren't familiar, be sure to unplug the heater first and if you drained water, DO NOT plug it back in until it has refilled. The elements will self-destruct with a pop if powered up without being immersed.
bump
Yep, good tips. The heater element is an immersion element, a heavier duty version of those old handheld ones you used to be able to get to put in a coffee cup of hold water and boil it in about a minute.
Don’t turn on the heater circuit til you are sure the tank is full and the element fully in the water it will heat.
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