Insulate the Hot Water Heater - Payback in Just a Few Months
Insulate your hot water heater with an insulating jacket to take a good chunk out of the gas or electric bill. Wrapping it in insulation saves energy by keeping the water inside hot and prevents the heater from turning on often to reheat it.
Adding an insulating jacket cuts water heater energy use by almost 20%, that can cut as much as $6/month off an electric or gas bill for the average home. At that price buying the insulation will pay for itself within a few months and keep saving energy for years after. Insulating jackets sized just for water heaters are available at most hardware stores that stock major appliances. Try to find one at least 2-3 inches thick and close in size to your water heater.
Be careful when installing insulation on to gas- or oil-fired water heaters. Follow the instructions that came with the heater jacket carefully with these types of heaters. In general though - keep the insulation away from the drain or airflow vent at the bottom, the flue near the top, and don’t cover the top of the heater because it can interfere with the draft diverter and hot exhaust air. If in doubt, have a plumbing or heating contractor insulate the water heater for you.
Get up to 15% Better Milage Using Cruise Control
Using cruise control on highway drives will improve gas mileage significantly. It makes a big difference in two ways: cruise control prevents the driver from repeatedly creeping over the speed limit and burning more gas at higher speeds, and by keeping your vehicle speed constant there is less acceleration which burns a lot more gas than just driving at a constant speed.
The test drive team at car review site Edmunds.com tested a 2005 Ford Mustang GT and a 2005 Land Rover LR3 SE on a 56-mile drive. Edmund’s drivers set the cruise control in each vehicle to 70 miles per hour for one test and then retested with drivers holding the cars between 65 and 75 miles per hour. Using the cruise control set to 70 miles per hour improved milage by about 14% in the Land Rover and improved milage by about 5% in the Mustang.
Here to Help You Save Money on Your Energy Bills
There are plenty more ways to save money than to just turn off the heat (or nearly turn it off).
I’m Mike and I’ll be discussing all the ways, easy and tough, to save energy. We’ll even review how long it takes to get a payback from things like new insulation or a more efficient water heater.