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Tips to Save Money on Hot Water
Heating hot water for your home is necessary, but it can also be a penny pincher. Since there is no way to get around needing hot-water, you undoubtedly are looking for the cheapest and most efficient option. Below you will find information on some of the most common hot water systems as well as tips on saving money on your hot water bills.
Water heated by a boiler
The majority of homes today use a central heating boiler to heat the hot water. There are various types of boilers, including a combi boiler (which heats the water directly) or a more traditional boiler (which supplies the water from a hot water cylinder). In some cases, you may have an electric immersion heater that is located within the cylinder.
One way to save money with your hot water, even during the summer, is to make sure your boiler is used to heat the water, not the immersion heater. Immersion heaters can be expensive and should only be used in the case of an emergency.
Water heated by immersion
While boilers are more common, homes that use electric storage heaters will likely heat their water with an immersion heater. There are two immersions within the cylinder, one at the top and one at the bottom. The immersion heater will work by turning the bottom heater on at night, heating the entire cylinder with off-peak electricity. The top heater will only be used to provide additional hot-water, when necessary. This is where the expensive part comes in, as the top heater will use expensive peak-rate electricity.
It is very important to NEVER leave an immersion heater on all day and night, as it will use peak-rate electricity and you will be wasting money in order to keep your water hot when you don’t even need it.
How to save money on hot water – 5 tips
- Using less water will help you save money, and energy, throughout the year
- Insulating your hot water cylinder with a fitted tank jacket could save you upwards of £45 a year. As an added precaution, insulate your hot water pipes.
- Make sure you have the correct control system for your heater. Having the right controls and ensuring they are set properly will help you have hot water when you need it, and only then
- Check your fuel to make sure you are using the cheapest for your particular heater. Gas is cheaper than oil or electricity, so if you can switch it may be a good idea to do so.
- Environmentally friendly heater systems, such as solar panels or water pumps, will decrease your hot water bills significantly. While perhaps more expensive to install, solar panels require basically zero running costs.
Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery Device (PFGHRD)
A Passive Flue Gas Heat Recovery Device (PFGHRD) is another way to help save money if you are using a combi boiler. It works to recover additional heat from the boiler’s flue gases and ensures this heat is solely used to heat the hot water supply.