Your Guide to Hot Water Savings

Your guide to Hot Water Savings

Did you know the average family uses 225 litres of hot water every day?

Water heating often uses the second-largest amount of energy in your home. Use the following resources to learn how to make smart choices to save more on water and energy consumption.

In addition to the tips below, visit the Energy Hub for additional tips and tricks and explore energy saving resources for your home.

Visit Energy Hub

Easy no-cost or low-cost hot water savings tips

Start with these simple changes and, when it’s time for a replacement, use our shopping guide to help take savings to the next level.

Fix leaky taps

A leaky tap can waste up to 75 litres per week! A new rubber washer costs about 25 cents at your local retailer and can be fixed quickly with a wrench and screwdriver.

Use faucet aerators

Aerators reduce water consumption by up to 50%. Your local retailer has a selection of models that you can install easily yourself.

Take five-minutes showers

A typical bath uses about 75 litres of hot water, while a five-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead uses less than half of that.

Make laundry more efficient

Wash everything in cold water: it protects fabrics from fading and shrinking, and can save enough energy as 220 showers per year!

Get dishwasher savings

Always run full loads, use the
shorter or "eco" wash cycle and
select air dry for up to 50%
savings.

Soak up the savings

Try these inexpensive projects for significant hot water savings and get the best value for
your investment with our buying tips.

Is your current showerhead energy efficient?

Try this simple flow test: open an empty 2L cardboard milk carton and hold it up to the shower while it is fully on. If it fills in less than 10 seconds, it is not energy efficient and you should consider replacing it.

Install a new energy-efficient showerhead

Prices vary, but the cost is usually recovered from energy savings in less than one year. Look for features such as spray adjustments, spray pattern and coverage, forcefulness, quiet operation, and ease of cleaning.
This reduces hot water use by up to 30% and can save over 28,000 litres per year.
Taking shorter showers instead of baths saves both energy and water. For instance, two people could save over $30 per year by shortening their shower by one minute each.

Keep the insulating tank cover clear

Be sure to keep the insulating tank cover clear of the air inlet for burners and the temperature controls.
If you rent your hot water tank, check the rental agreement and consult your retailer before making changes.

Insulate hot water pipes

Insulate at least the few metres of pipe leading to and from the hot water tank with tape wrap or snap-on foam pipe tubing.
If your hot water pipes run through sections of your home that are not heated, insulate them too.
Plastic pipes should not be wrapped – the extra heat might soften them.

Looking for a new dishwasher or washing machine?

It pays to read the EnerGuide label and comparison shop for the most energy-efficient model. Remember: the lower the kWh rating, the better the efficiency.
Appliances last for many years, and the “second price tag” – the cost of running the appliance – can add up to more than the initial purchase price. Use the EnerGuide label to help you shop smart.

Use the EnerGuide label to make your shopping decisions

All water heaters carry an EnerGuide label to show the energy consumption with a CSA label to indicate that it meets safety standards. EnerGuide labels tell you how many watts of energy you can expect the model to use during standby.

This number is the expected annual energy consumption of the appliance in watts. The lower the number, the higher the savings.

The energy consumption indicator shows you how this model compares to others in its class. The bar below the indicator gives the energy-efficiency range for the class. The further the indicator is to the left end of the scale, the better.

This bar shows the energy consumption of the most and least efficient water heaters in this class. In this case, the most efficient comparable model uses 25 W in standby, while the least efficient uses 181 W in standby.

Appliance Savings

Household appliances make life easier, but the cost of operating them account for more than 15% of your electricity bill

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