The U.S. Department of Energy has said that water heating accounts for around 16% of annual energy expenditures. That is a large amount of energy spent on a single home appliance. Finding ways to cut down your energy costs with your water heater could be very helpful. Fortunately, our team of specialists here at [Easy Flow Drain](https://easyflowdrain.com) know what it takes to save money. We’ll provide you with two simple tips and tricks that you could put to use right now and save money tomorrow.

Follow these few tips, and you’ll soon find yourself with practical ways to save money!

Reduce Hot Water Use:

• Begin by switching out old showerheads with a newer, low-flow model. Expect to spend around $25 for a good model that can still provide a great steady stream of water but help reduce water waste. You could even reduce your water usage per shower to as little as 1.6 gallons per minute.
• Be sure to repair any leaky faucets or showerheads.
• Repair aerators on bathroom faucets with products that have flow rates of no more than one gallon per minute.
• We recommend using cold water to wash laundry. You could also try using the cold-water rinse.
• Reduce your water waste when washing the dishes by scraping off food and not rinsing them beforehand. Most of today’s dishwashers will not require you to rinse off food. If you need to rinse them, use cold water instead of hot water to cut down energy and water waste.
• Before replacing any old home appliances, always check if the new model is Energy Star certified.

Cut Down Wasted Heat in Your Water Heater:

• Make sure to insulate your home’s water heater. If your home still has a tanked water heater, adding additional insulation would help reduce heat loss. We recommend that you always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on insulation, especially when it comes to gas-fed water heaters.
• You may want to insulate your hot water pipes. If the water sitting inside of your hot water pipes remains warm after you run your tap, then you will reduce your water waste. You’ll also save energy when restarting your hot water! Hot water pipes come insulated in most newer buildings, but that may not be the case in older homes. It could prove challenging to get done alone, but it is worth the investment in older homes.
• Turn down your water heater’s temperature setting. By simply turning down your water heater from 140 degrees F to 120 degrees F, you could reduce your energy use by 6-10 percent.
• You may also install “heat traps” or “anti-convection valves” on the hot and cold water connections to your water heater. Installing these could help prevent “thermosiphoning” of heat out of the water heater. Fortunately, some newer models already have these heat traps built in.

Call Our Highly Rated Professionals For Help

Once you put some effort into reducing your hot water use and minimizing heat loss, you’ll begin to see savings on your energy bill. Over time, your savings will grow and prove that the time and effort were worth it. We know that making these changes can be challenging to do alone for even the most skilled homeowner handyman. That is why we recommend contacting a professional company like Easy Flow to get the job done quickly. We provide reliable results that improve [energy efficiency](https://easyflowdrain.com/diy-plumbing-save-money-with-energy-efficiency/) for years to come. So, if you need help completing these steps to improve your water heater energy efficiency you can always call on our highly-rated company to get the job done, so [contact us](https://easyflowdrain.com/contact/) today and save tomorrow.