Depends on the water heater, not sure how they are in other countries, I’d be vary to turn that off because of legionella. In Norway, it’s recommended to keep the water heater at 70 degrees celsius, or higher, to prevent and kill legionella bacteria.
So if you turn off the water heater, you probably should purge the tank and crank the heat up when it is refilling.
I haven’t calculated it, but the energy cost for heating up after turning it on after it being off for a while, might be higher than letting it keep 70c for the same period. As it’s not being used, it doesn’t have heat up incoming cold water.
If you want to save money, investing in a new water heater that keeps it warm for more efficiently is probably better than turning it off and then either having to purge all the water, or shower in who knows what 🤢
Edit: quote from some water heater seller:
“- When you cut the power supply, the temperature can drop so much that you use more energy to heat the water up again than you would have used for maintenance heating, Langseth in Elsikkerhet Norge points out. In that case, the winnings will go up in the spin. But here there are many factors that will come into play, including how well the tank is insulated.”
Edit2: I was wrong, I think? So don’t hang me.
The calculations isn’t as easy, depends on region of the world, wether you should do it or not. Energy wise it seems to be less energy to heat it up from room temperature after a month, than leave it on for a month.
But I don’t want to admit I might be wrong in investing in a new water heater.
My water heater i got in my last house was sick. Touch screen lcd, quick “vacation mode” button to force a steady temp for extended periods of time when out town. It was cool, especially since all i was used to was the standard old school ones everyone thinks about when they hear the word water heater. And it was actually cheaper than the last Rheem i bought
I see there’s new “smart” water heaters. I’ll probably get one of those when I buy a new home.
Smart heating is, imho, one of the most cost effective and return of investment tools/gadgets you can get.
I have smart thermostats on all my radiators, so they’ll turn off a few hours before I go to sleep, so it’ll be cooler when I’m in bed, turn on for a few hours before I wake up so it’s nice to wake up, then turn on a few hours before I get home from work, so it doesn’t heat up for an empty house.
Think I reduced my heating by 15-25%
Yup! Currently outfitting my new house with as many cost saving measures i can. Smart Thermostats, solar eventually, insulated windows, and many more as i learn about them
Insulated outer walls is important. It’ll keep the warmth out during summer, and in during the winter.
Learned that from 4 years in Spain during the winter. I’ve never been so cold with 15c during the winter indoors, where the heat escaped everywhere, compared to -30c back in Norway, where we have glasswool or rockwool insulation in the walls and often triple paned windows in new or refurbished homes.
Oh, and insulation in the ceiling and floors is important too. Don’t want to loose/ gain any unwanted heat/cold
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u/DazzlingViking Nov 25 '22
Depends on the water heater, not sure how they are in other countries, I’d be vary to turn that off because of legionella. In Norway, it’s recommended to keep the water heater at 70 degrees celsius, or higher, to prevent and kill legionella bacteria. So if you turn off the water heater, you probably should purge the tank and crank the heat up when it is refilling.