A water heater does exactly what its name implies, and it heats the water used for household consumption from a shower, cooking, cleaning, and washing your hands. Heating water requires more energy usage. 18-20% of your home's energy bill comes from the water heater. An inefficient water heater at home will cost you more money each month for your utility bills.

This is why we have come up with a few effective practices and low-cost investments you can apply to save energy costs and improve the performance of your water heater.

• Insulate Your Water Tank and Pipes
  
  

Adding insulation to your pipes and water tank makes a massive difference in your utility bill. It will help prevent the heated water not just losing its heat as it advances to its destination. When you lose heat in your pipes, you need to heat more water, which means you spend more money on your electric bills.

Insulation blankets are relatively inexpensive and relatively easy job to do.

It should be noted that not all insulation kits are suitable for all tank types. If installed incorrectly on a gas water heater, they might cause a fire or emit carbon monoxide.

• Use the Right-sized Water Heater
  
  

If you observe your water heater continuously running, it is due to insufficient support for your household hot water needs. You might think that the smaller water heater is far better than, the larger one in reducing energy, but honestly, it will cause you more money. A constant running of an undersized water heater will lead to a skyrocketing utility bill as it heats too much for your demands. Investing in a larger water heater would be a good idea in that case.

• Use Low Flow Fixtures
  
  

As its name advocates, low-flow plumbing fixtures help you save money in the long run by reducing the water flow rate so that less water will go to waste. They may cost more money beforehand, but it is a worth-it investment.

• Drain Your Water Heater Sediment
  
  

Over time, minerals in your water, like calcium and magnesium, will build up in your water heater's tank. As water is heated, these minerals will form sediment that settles at the bottom of your water heater. This sediment makes the water heater harder to heat than in its normal state.

Fully draining your water heater tank once or twice a year can keep your tank away from build-up and help running efficiently.

• Regular Water Heater Maintenance
  
  

For your water heater to run smoothly and efficiently, regular maintenance from an experienced technician is essential. Make sure that you call a professional to do any repairs as soon as you notice a problem–don't wait for it to get worse. You might think that your water heater leaking a tiny bit isn't a big deal, but if you leave it, it will likely become a big problem and a significant expense.

Some plumbers may recommend lowering the temperature from the manufacturer's default of 55-60°C (130-140F) to 50°C (120F) in order to conserve electricity. However, we highly advise against doing so since certain bacteria, such as legionella, may live at temperatures as high as 58°C (136F).

Manax guarantees that all Ontario plumbing code regulations are met; thus, we install thermostatic mixing devices on all new tank installations that require them.

As professional plumbers in Caledon, Shelburne, and the Dufferin, at Manax, we're here to help you with affordable plumbing services from emergency hot water tank repair to routine maintenance.

All tanks have a sacrificial anode installed in them. This anode should be inspected yearly and replaced as required.