Save on Water Heating: Insulate!by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 21 Jan 2007 10:29 AM
Insulating your hot water heater and the hot water pipes can save you money off of your annual heating bill. Why does insulating your hot water heater work to save money? A hot water heater is always "on." The heater must maintain the water at a hot temperature, so that it will always be available to you when you need it for showers, washing clothes, washing dishes and more. It is also more efficient for the heater to maintain its temperature, rather than letting the water get ice cold before heating it up again. Every time the water in your hot water tank cools to a certain point, it will need to get heated again. By insulating the tank, you can keep the heat in so the burner won't need to fire up as often. Newer tanks may not need the insulation, but any take more than six years old definitely does. You can purchase a tank wrap at your local home improvement store for about $20. The cost will be paid back in just a few short months and is well worth the small expense. it is a thick fiberglass blanket that you attach using waterproof tape. Pipe insulation can also be purchased at your local home improvement store. You can buy pipe insulation in the form of a foam tube that is split to fit around the pipes (think of a thin swim noodle) or as a roll of fiberglass tape that you wrap around the pipes. Install the insulation on any pipes that connect to the heater and any hot water pipes that you can reach in the house (such as ones under the sink). This will help you with the heat loss. These installations are very easy to make. Just remember that if you use fiberglass insulation, you should wear gloves when installing it. What are your favorite ways to save on heating costs? Related Articles: Save Money on Home Heating: Install a Dryer Diverter One Simple Way to Lower Your Heating Cost Save on Heating: Fireplace Tips Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags costs, heating, insulate, save Discuss this article
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When we typically think of insulation for our homes, we think of adding insulation to attics or even inside walls to save on heating costs. But, if you have a hot water heater, you are missing a big area that can benefit from insulation.
