Ways to improve Water Heater efficiency

16% of the annual residential energy consumption goes to the Water Heaters. This statement is true for most of the Canadian homes. Improving Water Heater efficiency can contribute to making the environment greener and also in reducing the energy bills. There are two wonderful ways that can help improve the efficiency of Water Heater. One is, reducing the use of Hot Water. Lesser the use, lesser the Water Heater has to work and efficient the system remains. The other is by reducing the heat loss due to the water heating system. Let's explore both of these ways;

Improve efficiency by reducing usage

Replacing fixture

Oh wow! Really? Oh yes! It is!

Changing of the fixture can help you consume less hot water. And guess how does that happen? That happens when you replace older models of showers and taps that provide heavy flow with low flow models. Ever wondered how much hot water gets wasted due to a heavy flow of the shower when you bath? A lot! Fixing the fixtures can add to the overall water heater efficiency.

Leaks and damages

Here's another important one. Leaking taps, showers and other water supplying fixtures can waste a lot of hot water on a daily basis. Consequently, a water heater has to run more and this affects the efficiency too. Fix the leaks.

Energy star products

This one is of prime importance. Homeowner waste a lot of hot water in dishwashers and laundry. That's kind of a real waste. Some people just can't get themselves satisfied unless they use hot water for everything. If you're one such people, purchase energy star washing machines and dishwashers. Energy Star products are energy efficient and thus save energy even when you don't bother to save.

Improve efficiency by reducing heat loss

Insulation of tank

This trick has been used by several homeowners throughout Toronto. In colder climates, heat loss takes place more easily and the water heater has to make more effort to provide hot water by continuously burning heat. This can be avoided by insulating the water tank. Insulation of a water tank can be done easily by individuals themselves. Take fibreglass sheets, asbestos or any other insulation material and wrap it properly around the tank. You're done, dude! Once the water tank is insulated, it keeps the energy in and keeps the water hot.

Insulation of pipes

This might sound ridiculous to you if you have no idea how much of energy is wasted as the water moves from the pipelines to the place of use i.e kitchen, bathroom. The insulation of pipes is as easy as the insulation of tanks. All that is required is to cover the pipes with foam or any other cheap insulation material. The heat loss does not occur as the hot water flows through supply lines. Eventually, lesser use of water heater and higher remains its efficiency.

Another way to improve your water heater efficiency is to convert to gas. Since gas is cheaper compared with electricity, it helps save in long run. Also, it has been observed that the gas fired water heaters last longer than the electric water heaters.

These ways although they might seem ordinary can drastically improve the efficiency of the Water Heater and can also add several years to their life. All it takes is a few wise steps.

Posted by Heating And Cooling

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How to decide whether you need an AC repair or a Replacement?

As a rule of thumb, when it comes to taking the decision of repair vs replacement, it is imperative to never rely solely on your own analysis. Consulting an HVAC professional is what we suggest. However, the problem is, many times the HVAC service providers give wrong suggestions in order to make their own business. A replacement will benefit a company more than repair, they would, therefore, try to convince the potential customer to replace their Air Conditioner instead of repairing. The case is of course not always the same. There are several reliable HVAC service provider companies in GTA whose suggestion you can trust. An easy way to make sure that your decision to choose between repair/replacement is the right decision, try to consult two to three different professionals and then decide what to do. But there may be the cases with you when you're unable to find good HVAC professionals or they charge too much for diagnosis, here are a few factors, analyzing which you can decide yourself whether you should choose repair or replacement.

Age Matters

Oh yes! Agr matters. The simplest way to make a random guess for replacement is by calculating the age of your Air Conditioner. You should be aware what is the usual lifespan of the model you're using. If the Air Conditioner has already completed its lifespan, you should understand that now dragging it more will only cost you high energy bills, noise and most probably a sudden breakdown. Go for Replacement

Repair History

There goes something real wrong with AC's sometimes. They'll seek repair and will continue to seek repair every season. Sometimes twice or more in a season. This is not only costly but also affects the efficiency of your Air Conditioner. So, despite the age of the AC, analyze the repair history. If there are regular repairs, better go for a new AC installation. It will cost once but will save from costly repairs for a long run. Go for replacement again.

What do Energy Bills say?

One of the signs of repair/replacement is the increase in energy bills. Take out the energy bills of past few months and see if there's a sudden rise in bills. The problem that causes the rise in energy bills could possibly be solved through repairs. Go for a repair and see if the AC regains the older efficiency. If it doesn't and the AC is already old, choose to replace instead of wasting several hundred dollars on fatty bills.

If you're between sixes and sevens about the replacement/repair of your Air Conditioner, these three points will assist in taking a right decision. But as said earlier that it's good to seek a professional's suggestion too. Your AC can probably run for a few more years and replacement could probably be a wrong decision that you'd mistakenly take. Spend a few dollars, schedule a visit with an HVAC professional and then see whether you'll enjoy the cool breeze from a new AC this summer or from the same old and gold one.

Note:

You can also connect with us for HVAC consultation.

Call at: 905-910-1488