Hot water is an essential part of everyday life both at home and in the workplace. What most people don’t realise is that water heating can actually be energy-intensive, and is often overlooked as contributing to the climate emergency.
Water heating makes up on average about 23% of a typical household’s energy use. Not for profits who have kitchens or washing facilities may also find hot water heating is a large part of their energy use. If this is the case an energy audit can be a great way to find out how much energy your hot water heating is using.
Thankfully, there are a variety of energy-efficient water heating solutions that allow you to heat water without creating a lot of carbon emissions.
In this blog, we’ll briefly examine some of these energy-efficient water heating solutions, such as solar water heating and heat pump water heating, among others. We will also discuss the impacts of traditional water heating technologies on the environment, why you should upgrade, plus funding and support available to non profits and community organisations.
Why Is Traditional Water Heating Carbon Intensive?
Using traditional water heating technologies can significantly increase your organisation’s carbon footprint. Old-fashioned electric resistive tank-based water heaters that directly convert electricity into heat and gas tank-based water heaters, which operate by combusting gas to heat a tank of water, are examples of inefficient technologies still widely used. Not only is this way of heating water costly, but it can contribute to a significant amount of carbon emissions.
Learn more in Top Reasons To Get Off Gas & How To Do It
What are Some Green & Energy Efficient Ways of Heating Water?
Low flow showerheads
The best way to reduce both your hot water heating emissions and costs is to avoid using hot water in the first place. The easiest and cheapest way to do that is using low flow showerheads. In a household, the humble showerhead is usually the largest user of reticulated water. And the hot water system is the second largest user of energy. Coupled with the fact that showerheads are so cheap to replace means switching to a low flow showerhead will usually have the fastest payback time of any energy efficiency retrofit due to the energy and water savings, usually under a year. It’s the biggest “no-brainer” action you can do.
“An inefficient shower can use between 15L and 25L of water every minute, whereas an efficient WELS 5 star rated one uses as little as 4.5L every minute, which can save a 2-person household at least $160 annually on energy and water bills.” Your Home Technical Manual If you run (for example) a residential aged care facility with a large number of showers this rapidly adds up and allows you to use you excess solar for other things!
How do you know if your existing showerheads are inefficient? Test them (here’s a great video by the WA Water Corporation which shows you how) Turn your shower on full and place a bucket under it for a minute. Then measure the amount of water in the bucket. If its more than 15 litres it’s worth replacing them.
But I don’t like low flow showerheads, I hear you say! I have to run around to get wet/I can’t wash my hair/they are too sensitive. Try a modern one, they are way better than they used to be. Even the ultralow flow showerheads give an excellent shower. Also it’s important to note that a low flow showerhead won’t work with an instantaneous hot water system which needs a certain flow rate (another reason to get a heat pump instead!).
You can also use water efficient clothes and dishwashers. You can find out how much purchasing energy efficient washing appliances will save you using this energy rating calculator.
Insulation
Aside from using emissions intensive energy sources, one of the biggest criticisms of traditional tank-based water heating technologies is that they experience significant standby heat loss. This means that a substantial amount of energy is used and wasted daily as heat escapes the storage tank and piping. Thus, more energy is required to maintain a good water temperature throughout the day, leading to additional energy use.
Under the National Construction Code all water heater pipes should have a minimum level of insulation. If yours are missing insulation or the insulation is damaged, speak to your plumber next time they visit and get them to insulate your pipes. Insulation blankets are also available for the tank itself although please read any safety instructions carefully as they are not suitable for all types of hot water systems (Source: Your Home Technical Manual)
Heat Pump Water Heaters
The upside of heat pump water heaters is that they’re extremely efficient. They work in the same way as a refrigerator, using a refrigerant to extract heat from the surrounding air and a heat exchanger to heat water in an insulated storage cylinder. These use around 60 to 75% less electricity than a resistive electric hot water system. This is because the electricity is used to operate the heat pump and doesn’t heat the water directly with an element.
Initial installation costs are relatively high compared to traditional water heaters. However, the savings made on electricity usage make this a worthwhile option.
Learn more in Heat Pumps Guide for Non Profits
Solar Diverters & Timers
If you have solar panels and an electric or heat pump storage hot water system you can effectively use your storage tank as a “battery” by converting your excess solar electrical energy to heat energy in your water which can be used later after the sun has gone down. There are sophisticated solar diverters which can just use your excess solar and divert it to your hot water heating when you have excess electricity. You can also set your hot water timer (most newer hot water systems have one) to run only during daylight hours.
Learn more in Why Solar Panels Are A Top Renewable Energy Source
Solar Water Heating
Solar water heaters directly use heat from the sun to heat the water, which significantly reduces the reliance on electricity or gas to create heat.
In many cases, solar water heaters can significantly reduce the need for electricity or gas, especially when used in areas with a lot of strong sunlight. Their low operating cost can make these types of water heaters well worth their while, even though the initial installation costs can be higher.
The downside of solar heaters is that they rely on consistent sunlight to be efficient. When adverse weather conditions persist, these water heaters’ efficiency can diminish. They will then need to heat the water using a resistive electric or gas hot water system booster, meaning they lose some of their efficiency gains.
However, they are a popular option in houses in countries with a lot of strong sunlight, such as Australia.
Green Water Heating Funding For Non Profit Organisations
If you need up front capital to replace old, inefficient or gas -powered water heating with heat pumps or other more energy-efficient methods, apply for an interest free loan with CORENA.
At CORENA, we champion energy-efficient water heating by helping to fund initiatives to install solar water heating or heat pump water heating solutions, among others. Contact us now to find out more about the solutions we can provide and join the cause.
We work with a wide range of non profits, charities, social enterprises and community organisations, and provides zero-interest loans to fund climate, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
We receive, record, and transparently report donations from the community. We use that money to fund projects that benefit the planet including:
- Heat Pumps
- Solar Panels
- Energy Efficiency
- Getting Off Gas – Replacement of fossil gas appliances with electric alternatives
- Electric Vehicles
- A combination of the above
We can also help you calculate the business case for the upgrade by working out your carbon and cost savings as well as other technical advice.
Learn more in 5 Ways CORENA Helps Non Profits Reduce Carbon Emissions & Energy Costs
You don’t pay any interest on your CORENA loan, and the quarterly loan repayments are set to be a little less than the savings on your operating costs averaged over a year.
This means you are never out of pocket and after your loan is fully repaid you reap the full financial benefit of having lower operating costs.
To learn more, check out how to apply for a loan, or register for one of our upcoming Online Q&A Information Sessions.
