We significantly reduced our water heater cost with our electric water heater by installing a simple on-off switch on the water heater’s electric circuit, so we can turn off our water heater during the middle of the day and when we go to bed, saving the energy that would be used to heat water we’re not using.
If you install a timer on the switch, you can have it turn on 30 to 45 minutes before your morning showers. Otherwise, plan to wait about a half hour for the water to heat up, especially if more than one person will need a shower.
Camille Landry
Edmond, Oklahoma
Click to learn more about water-heater energy savings from the U.S. Department of Energy website. And watch for the Ask Our Experts article on water heaters and peak usage times in the August/September 2010 issue.— MOTHEREARTH NEWS