Turn down your water heater

Photo by Tina Dawson on Unsplash

Description

This is a simple adjustment that saves you money and the worry of getting burned by scalding water. Many water heaters have a control for how hot water is heated and factory defaults are often hotter than necessary. Simply turn down the temperature to stop wasting energy. Give it a try and enjoy the benefits.

Tips

• How low should you go? When you take a shower, turn your hot water all the way on with no cold water. If it is too hot, then your heater may be turned up too high. Adjust your water heater temperature down so if you only use hot water for a shower, it is a nice, relaxing feeling.

• Be careful not to turn down your water heater too much, especially if there are individuals who have a weakened immune system or your hot water does not circulate often. The longer water sits in a system and having lukewarm water temperatures can cause naturally occurring Legionella bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels. There is a risk of Legionellosis, which is contracted by inhaling small droplets of contaminated water through mist or vapor.

• How do you adjust your temperature? An easy way to figure it out is to search online for videos about how to do it. Find a video that has a water heater that looks similar to yours. Alternatively, you can look at the instruction booklet for your water heater or ask someone handy who would likely know and can help.

• There is no evidence that using hot water out of the tap has any benefit in killing bacteria. For washing hands or washing dishes, cold water reduces bacteria as well as hot water. Plus, using overly hot water is damaging to our skin.