energy efficient water heating   The next time you pay your utility bill, divide the total amount by seven. The result is the amount you spend to heat your water. You may think this cost is a small price to pay for the convenience of a hot shower, but during the course of a year, this cost adds up. Several measures can help you decrease water heating costs in your home. Some specific actions include reducing the amount of hot water used & making your water heating system more energy efficient.   reducing the amount of hot water used Generally, four destination points in the home are recognized as end uses for hot water: faucets, showers, dishwashers & washing machines. Of course you do not have to take cold showers, dine on dirty dishes, or wear dirty clothes to reduce your hot water consumption. Less radical measures are available that will be virtually unnoticeable once you apply them.   faucets & showers Simply repairing leaks in faucets & showers can save hot water. A leak of one drip per second can cost $1 per month, yet could be repaired in a few minutes for less than that. And some apparently insignificant steps, when practiced routinely at your home, could have significant results. For example, turning the hot water faucet off while shaving or brushing your teeth, as opposed to letting the water run, can also reduce water heating costs. Another option is limiting the amount of time you spend in the shower. Other actions may require a small investment of time & money. Installing low-flow showerheads & faucet aerators can save significant amounts of hot water. Low-flow showerheads can reduce hot water consumption for bathing by 30%, yet still provide a strong, invigorating spray. A quick test can help you determine if your shower is a good candidate for a showerhead replacement. Turn on the shower to the normal pressure you use, hold a bucket that has been marked in gallon increments under the spray & time how many seconds it takes to fill the bucket to the one gallon mark. If it takes less than twenty seconds, you could benefit from a low-flow showerhead. Because of the different uses of bathroom & kitchen faucets, you may need to have different water flow rates in each location. For bathroom faucets, aerators that deliver one half gallon to a gallon of water per minute may be sufficient. Kitchen faucets may require a higher flow rate of two to four gallons per minute if you regularly fill the sink for washing dishes. On the other hand, if you tend to let the water run when washing dishes, the lower flow rate of one half gallon to a gallon per minute may be more appropriate. Some aerators come w/ shut-off valves that allow you to stop the flow of water w/out affecting the temperature.   dishwashers A relatively common assumption is that washing dishes by hand saves hot water. If properly used, an efficient dishwasher can consume less energy than washing dishes by hand, particularly when you only operate the dishwasher w/ full loads. Heating water for an automatic dishwasher can represent about 80% of the energy required to run this appliance. Average dishwashers use eight to fourteen gallons of water for a complete wash cycle & require a water temperature of 140ºF for optimum cleaning. But setting your water heater so high could result in excessive standby heat loss. This type of heat loss occurs because water is constantly heated in the storage tank, even when no hot water is used. Furthermore, a water heater temperature of 120ºF is sufficient for other uses of hot water in the home. A "booster" heater can increase the temperature of the water entering the dishwasher to the 140ºF recommended for cleaning. Some dishwashers have built-in boosters that will automatically raise the water temperature, while others require manual selection before the wash cycle begins. A booster heater can add about $30 to the cost of a new dishwasher but should pay for itself in water heating energy savings in about one year if you also lower your water heater temperature. Reducing the water heater temperature is not advisable, however, if your dishwasher does not have a booster heater. Another feature that reduces hot water use in dishwashers is the availability of cycle selections. Shorter cycles require less water, thereby reducing the energy cost. The most efficient dishwasher currently on the market can cost half as much to operate as the most inefficient model. If you are planning to purchase a new dishwasher, check the Energy Guide & Energy Star® labels & compare the approximate yearly energy costs among brands. Dishwashers fall into one of two categories: compact capacity or standard capacity. Although compact-capacity dishwashers may appear to be more energy efficient, they hold fewer dishes & may force you to use the appliance more frequently than you would use a standard-capacity model. In this case, your energy costs could be higher than w/ the standard-capacity dishwasher.   >> page 2