100+ Ways to Improve Your Electric Bill: Water Heating

Welcome to the sixth portion of the series: 100+ Ways to Improve your Electric Bill.  Many of these are low cost and no cost tips, and easy to implement.

So far in the series, we have covered:   
-    Air Infiltration
-    Heating and Cooling (Part 1 and Part 2).  
-    Refrigeration
-    Cooking

While most people view the water heater in their house to be an appliance they never touch after installed, it might be time to go check to see if your unit is at the optimal settings.

• Make sure your new water heater meets or exceeds the federal Energy Factor (EF) efficiency standard. (Examples: 0.90 EF for an electric 50-gallon unit, 0.59 EF for a gas 40-gallon unit, and 0.53 EF for an oil 32-gallon unit.)
• It is important to keep the system properly maintained. Once or twice a year, drain a bucket of water out of the bottom of the heater tank because it can be full of sediment. The sediment insulates the water in the tank from the heating element, which wastes energy.
• In addition, you might want to invest in a relatively inexpensive water heater insulation kit. Older hot water tanks (except super-insulated tanks) generally are not insulated very well, so an extra layer of protection will keep the heat from being lost through the walls of the tank. Be sure to read the instructions on the kit carefully. Do not insulate over any doors, vents, or relief valves.
• When buying a water heater, it is wise to correctly estimate your needs. Don’t buy a water heater that is too large for your family, but you should consider your future needs as well as your present requirements.
• Lowering your water heater temperature setting from 140 degrees Fahrenheit to 120 degrees Fahrenheit can reduce your water heating energy bill by more than 10 percent.
• Some water heaters now have solid state controls (such as a “vacation” setting) that allow you to lower temperature settings. Look for and take advantage of these features.
• In sprawling ranch houses or in residences with two or three levels, the rooms requiring hot water may be widely separated. It may be possible to get better hot water service with less use of electricity by having two or more water heaters - one heater in each principal water-using area - instead of one heater in a central location.
• Repair leaky faucets promptly. A steady drip of hot water can waste many gallons of water per month, plus the energy needed to heat the water.
• Letting the water run while shaving or when washing dishes by hand is needless waste. Avoid this by using sink stoppers and dishpans.
• Encourage family members to take showers rather than baths. The average person will use about half as much hot water in a shower as in a bath.
• The standby heat loss of a water heater increases with temperature. So, set the temperature control of your water heater at a moderate 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or as low as possible without running out of hot water. If you need hotter water for certain functions, such as dishwashing, consider a dual-temperature system. Such systems employ a central unit supplying 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower temperature water for general purposes, plus a second, smaller water heater set for a higher temperature.
• Locate water heaters as close to the points of hot water use as possible. The reason for this is that any hot water that remains in a supply pipe after a tap or valve is closed eventually cools off and is wasted. The longer the supply pipe, the more heat lost.
• When long lengths of hot water supply pipe are unavoidable, insulate them to reduce losses. Hardware stores sell hot water pipe insulation kits.

Thanks to our friends at the Edison Electric Institute for providing the list of 100+ Ways to Improve your Electric Bill.
   

Smart Cooling Rewards: Be Smart. Be Cool. Be Paid.

This may come as a surprise, but blogging is not the Energy Conservation Group’s main activity here at Dominion.

The Energy Conservation group is responsible for providing our customers with energy conservation programs.  It sounds much easier than it actually is.

In truth, it is a long process of finding programs that we feel are beneficial to our customers, filing for approval of the programs by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (or North Carolina Public Utilities Commission), and finally launching the programs that have been approved.

We plan for programs years in advance, and the rest of the process can take upwards of a year.

One of our programs that we launched in April 2010 is the Smart Cooling Rewards program.  It helps manage higher electrical demand in the summer and reduces the need to run peak generators or import electricity into our electrical system.  By easing the demand on the power grid, participants help control costs while maintaining reliability.

The Smart Cooling Rewards program is completely voluntary.  Customers who meet the qualifications (homeowner, central A/C or heat pump that is easily accessible, Virginia or North Carolina customer) can enroll through Dominion’s Manage Your Account (MYA) online portal or by calling 1-888-366-8280.

By enrolling in the program, participants allow Dominion to install an A/C cycling “switch” on their outside cooling system.  During periods of high electricity demand, usually the hottest days of the summer, Dominion may call a cycling “event”.

During an event a signal is sent to the switch at your home enabling the switch to cycle your cooling system’s compressor at 50% of its normal run time.  The fan will continue to run and circulate already cooled air.

Cycling “events” are limited to weekdays - typically between 2pm and 6pm during the cycling season of June 1 - September 30.  There are no weekend or holiday events.

To thank customers for participating, Dominion mails a $40 check directly to their home annually after each summer they participate.

The Smart Cooling Rewards program has had nearly 50,000 participants enroll since launching in April 2010.  By 2014, Dominion is projected to have 170,000 customers enrolled and participating in the program.

During each cycling event in 2011, participants in the Smart Cooling Rewards program reduced peak electrical demand by approximately 31 megawatts - equal to the energy demand of nearly 8,000 homes - on days when electricity demand is at its highest.

For additional program information and to enroll visit www.dom.com/smartcool or call 1-888-366-8280.