EcoRenovator - View Single Post - standby losses from the hotwater tank add up

MN Renovator · 10-25-12, 10:09 AM

Standby losses for my water heater are under 400k BTU per month. $2.60/month of natural gas for those 4 therms. The equivalent would be 117kwh or about $12.90 in electricity at my 11 cent rate but in the case of electricity there is no heat stack coming out of the top so the losses would be less.

Fun thing is my gas usage throughout the summer was a consistent 4 therms pretty much every month. That's with my stove, oven(not often in summer), and water heater usage. I put the thermostat on vacation and take all of my showers with the heat that the pilot light puts out. ..at least until this month when the house and basement temperature dropped and the water heater and copper piping let that heat out.

I'll put it this way, a low flow shower head (1.5gpm), a warm house, and a 3-4 gallon daily shower, and careful hot water usage with the kitchen and I don't use more than what the pilot light puts out and the water is still hot enough at the end of the shower to say ouch if I crank the heat.

I still haven't bothered putting the poly-backed fiberglass blanket on my tank yet.
Pro tip: The longer the tank warranty, usually the better the heat tube baffles and tank insulation are.

10-25-12, 10:09 AM	#39
MN Renovator Less usage=Cheaper bills Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 939 Thanks: 41 Thanked 116 Times in 90 Posts	Standby losses for my water heater are under 400k BTU per month. $2.60/month of natural gas for those 4 therms. The equivalent would be 117kwh or about $12.90 in electricity at my 11 cent rate but in the case of electricity there is no heat stack coming out of the top so the losses would be less. Fun thing is my gas usage throughout the summer was a consistent 4 therms pretty much every month. That's with my stove, oven(not often in summer), and water heater usage. I put the thermostat on vacation and take all of my showers with the heat that the pilot light puts out. ..at least until this month when the house and basement temperature dropped and the water heater and copper piping let that heat out. I'll put it this way, a low flow shower head (1.5gpm), a warm house, and a 3-4 gallon daily shower, and careful hot water usage with the kitchen and I don't use more than what the pilot light puts out and the water is still hot enough at the end of the shower to say ouch if I crank the heat. I still haven't bothered putting the poly-backed fiberglass blanket on my tank yet. Pro tip: The longer the tank warranty, usually the better the heat tube baffles and tank insulation are.