Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close,
Abingdon, OX14 3JE
Email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk
Telephone: 01235 520202

Vale of White Horse District Council

Saving energy - hot water

Hot water may come from oil or gas fired central heating. Water may also be heated by an instantaneous multipoint heater or single point heater. Electricity can also be used to heat water. Electric immersion heaters should be used with an off-peak Economy 7 electricity tariff as it is much cheaper. A dual immersion heater allows you to have both an on-peak and off-peak heating facility.

Alternatively, you can use renewable energy to heat your water - see Renewable energy for more details.

If your hot water system has no time controller then you will be keeping water hot when it is not required, wasting both energy and money. If you have no or inadequate control over your hot water look into to installing hot water controls including thermostats, timers and programmers. 

Water should not be heated to a scalding temperature; 60°C or 140°F is adequate for bathing and washing. It is also a good idea to use the plug in sinks or hand basins, as leaving hot water taps running without the plug in is both wasteful and expensive. Showers are much more economical than baths. An ordinary shower uses only two-fifths of the hot water needed for a bath. Shower attachments for bath taps are inexpensive.     

Hot water tank insulation    

Your hot water will stay warmer for longer if you insulate your hot water cylinder. DIY stores sell ready-made jackets which are inexpensive and easy to install. Even if your tank is already insulated, if it is less than 3 inches or 75mm thick you could save even more in the long run by fitting another new jacket around the existing one, or by replacing it. A hot water tank jacket will cost from as little as £10 and save between £10 and £15 per year.

Pipe insulation   

Hot water pipes lose heat so insulate them wherever you can. The most important pipes to insulate are the ones between the boiler and the hot water cylinder. You should also insulate the pipes in the loft to stop them freezing in cold weather. This is quick and easy to do yourself but if you are having loft insulation fitted by an installer, they should lag your pipes for you at the same time. Pipe insulation will cost from around £10 to fit and save up to £5 on annual fuel bills.