Cost To Run Water Heating Systems
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO USE A HOT WATER HEATER
A residential water heater contributes to as much as 30 percent of a household's energy cost - second only to the expense of a home's heating and cooling system. Selecting the right water heater - one that is efficient and the right capacity - can dramatically impact your monthly energy bill.
Other ways to lower your energy bill include:
- Always wash full loads of laundry, using cold water whenever possible.
- Always run full loads in the dishwasher.
- All water heaters carry standard Energy Guide labels. Below is an example on an image of energy label provided by the government.
ASSUMPTIONS
"Base model" has an efficiency that just meets the national minimum standard for gas and electric water heaters. Lifetime energy cost is the sum of the discounted value of the annual energy costs based on assumed water heater life of 13 years. When calculating the cost, you will also need to make an informed assumption of the electricity price trend and a discount rate of 3.2% are based on Federal guidelines.
$0.09 per kWh for electricity is the Federal average price in the U.S.
$0.93 per therm for gas is the Federal average price in the U.S.
Hot water usage estimates:
Average shower (8 minutes) = 10 gallons of hot water
Average clothes washer (one load) = 7 gallons of hot water
Average dishwasher (one load) = 6 gallons of hot water
Average kitchen faucet flow = 2 gpm
Average bathroom faucet flow = 0.5 gpm
Average daily usage = 64 gallons of hot water.
