Too Hot? Too Cold? Tips for Getting Your Water Heater’s Temperature Just Right
Maintaining the water heater’s temperature can take up a lot of your energy bill, and leads to standby energy losses. So how do you get your water heater’s temperature just right, and avoid a costly energy bill? The easiest way is to lower the water heater’s thermostat from the standard 140 degrees down to 120 degrees.
Benefits of Lowering Your Water Heater’s Temperature
- The lower temperature slows the potential corrosion and buildup of sediments inside your water tank and pipes, potentially extending its service life.
- The lower temperature alleviates the scalding hazard from using water that is too hot. A significant number of people are admitted to a hospital from being scalded by the water in their house per year. By turning down the heat in your water tank, you can make sure that what comes out of the faucet won’t hurt anyone in your household.
- The lower temperature cuts down on standby energy losses from keeping the water that isn’t being used heated that extra 20 degrees, which provides proven energy savings from your water heater on your utility bill.
Possible Drawbacks of Lowering Your Water Heater’s Thermostat
- Some dishwashers or other appliances require the water to be at 140 degrees for optimum dishwasher performance and cleaning. However many newer models of appliances have a heat booster in the dishwasher that will heat only the water needed for the wash cycle the extra 20 degrees.
- The lower temperature may allow small concentrations of legionella bacteria to develop in your water tank. This is not considered harmful for most of the population, but might affect people with compromised immune systems.
At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.
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