How Water Heating Systems Can Reduce Your Energy Bills
If your winter energy bills seem to be higher than usual, you have only one thing to blame and this is none other than your “water heating system.” If you don’t know, heating water contributes the maximum amount in the total bill of around 25%–40%. But Alas, this appliance is the most overlooked when it comes to saving energy consumption or rather cost cutting.
However, you don’t have to worry too much as water heating systems can somewhat help in reducing the energy bills. How? How much? What to do? Getting in touch with a solar manufacturing company in India required? And many similar questions will be answered here. By the end you will get a clear picture if your water heating device needs an upgrade or you need to explore more sustainable options.
Water Heaters 101: Function, Usage & Types
What you use daily for your hot water needs such as cleaning, cooking, and warming the room is “Water Heating Systems.” Basically, they are devices that warms the water up to a desired level. They include electricity, gas, solar power, & others. Although a background device, its daily life usage and importance is needless to mention. Before understanding how these water heating devices consume energy, let’s know their different types.
1) Electrical Water Heaters: Among the most commonly used and found water heading appliances, electrical water heating has its electric heating element. The element is submerged in the water to make it hot. Yes, it is convenient to use, but it consumes a lot of electricity.
2) Gas Water Heaters: It is nothing but warming or boiling the water on gas. In the places where gas is cheaper, gas water heaters are cheaper and quick to use. But, it doesn't come with its own limitations. You need proper ventilation and timely-maintenance to use it.
3) Solar Water Heaters: In the list of the most sustainable and environment friendly water heaters, Solar Water Heating System tops it. After a 2022 decline, the numbers of India's solar thermal market bounced back to 27% in 2023. It means that people are choosing SWHs for residential and commercial requirements. Even though users find its cost of installation to be high, the long-term savings impress and satisfy them.
4) Heat Pump Water Heaters: Users who prefer more energy-efficient heating systems choose heat pumps for heating water. Best used in households who want to reduce burden on their pockets and still want the best performance from their water heaters.
Note that all these hot water heaters work differently. It means different energy consumption levels. And why is that so? Following are some of the factors that determine that:
Amount of water used (Higher the water used, higher the bill)
Temperature setting (Increased thermostat setting will lead to higher use of electricity)
Loss of heat is a cause of concern where hot water is stored. It uses more energy to reheat the water or maintain the same levels.
Climatic conditions also control the energy consumption levels. Colder regions use more electricity to heat the water than warmer areas.
Why Water Heating Contributes Significantly to Energy Bills
Now to address the most commonly asked question, “Why is my hot water system using so much electricity?” The answer is simple yet crucial to know. Some of the common reasons are:
Share of household energy consumption: In simple words, “How much water heaters do you use on a daily basis?" As mentioned above, water heating contributes a lot to electricity bills. So, timely checking for inefficiencies is important if your goal is to reduce the bills.
Daily consumption of the water heaters decides the amount of the bills. If your warm showers are long, you have a habit of leaving geysers on for a longer period, or you wash your clothes in hot water, expect a high electricity bill.
Older water heaters require consistent services. Any older machine develops inconsistencies after prolonged use and forces the machine to work harder than usual. Hence, it leads to more energy consumption and subsequently increased electricity bills. Some issues that you need to deal with are poor insulation, outdated heating elements, corroded or worn-out tanks, and more.
Which Water Heaters Systems Reduce the Energy Bills
Now that you are aware of the possible causes of higher energy bills. Let’s go for the following energy efficient water heating options that will help with your goal.
1) Tankless Water Heaters: First on the list of energy-saving water heaters is tankless water heating devices. “Tankless” means that the hot water is not stored in tanks like in traditional storage heaters. Since it doesn’t store the hot water, it uses no energy on reheating or storing water. Note that this water heater is ideal for households with limited hot water needs. Usually, the users find it to be energy-saving over a period of time.
2) Heat Pump Technology: Don’t mistake a heat pump to be the old conventional water heating system. It extracts heat from the surroundings and heats the water. The best part is that it is two or three times more energy-efficient than the usual water heaters. Because it takes up the heat from the surrounding air, warmer climatic conditions are suitable.
3) Solar Water Heaters: How can solar water heaters not be a part of the heaters that help in reducing electricity bills? For its proper functioning, it needs sunlight. That’s it.
The solar panels from a reliable solar manufacturing company in India are truly a gamechanger when it comes to saving money.
People prefer to get them installed in residential and commercial areas, as it reduces the electricity consumption significantly. Today, nearly 25 lakh Indian households have installed solar panels and the number seems to grow to 1 crore by 2027.
4) Electrical and Gas Systems: Don’t consider the old electric and gas water heaters as they will solve the problem of high use of energy for heating water. The modern electric and gas systems for water heating have improved insulation and faster heating burners or elements. They perform better because of enhanced temperature control.
Cut the Cost, Not Your Need for Hot Water
At the end of the day, you are still going to need hot water. So, don’t keep stressing about your all-time high electricity bills; rather, identify where the actual problem is. Don’t find shortcuts to reduce bills, but resort to cost-efficient water heating systems for a solid long-term plan to cost savings.