Water use & heating

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Water use & heating

Water and home heating account for most of your home’s overall energy costs.

Reduce your water use and save money on your energy bill. Low-flow showerheads can save up to 7,200 litres of water a year, and by using less hot water you can save up to $30 on your energy bill and up to $30 on your water bill.

Install water and energy saving devices such as low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators to reduce your water heating costs.

Another way you can save money on water heating is by installing a drain water heat recovery system. Drain water heat recovery systems can save you up to 25% on your water heater’s energy consumption. This leads to a longer life for your water heater and more savings on your energy bill.

Choosing a water heater

The decision to replace a water heater often needs to be made in a hurry. Although standard water heaters usually last about 7 to 12 years, they can fail at any time. This may occur at night or on a weekend when there is little time to comparison shop.

Your choice of home water heating system may depend on the type of system that you already have as well as which energy options are available in your area. Calculate your water heating costs.

• Annual water heating costs comparison (PDF, 289 KB)

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Water heating systems

A water heater uses a heating source (usually a flame or electric resistance element) to raise the temperature of incoming cold water to a desired pre-set end use temperature. The water can be heated and stored in an insulated tank, ready for use when needed, or it can be instantly heated and passed through the system directly to the end use.

The purchase price and operating cost of each can vary significantly. Some types of water heaters may cost you more to buy, but will cost you less to run year over year. Choose the option that fits your lifestyle and budget. The cost to operate your water heater will depend on the type of water heater you choose, how much hot water you use, and current energy rates.

• Calculate your water heating costs

Natural gas

• Storage water heaters
  These are the most common type of natural gas water heater. Water is heated and stored in a tank so that it is available to use in the home at any time. When a storage water heater is not in use it loses heat through the shell of the tank. New natural gas storage tank water heaters have increased insulation levels to help minimize the heat loss. Conventional (standard) natural gas water heaters are normally the least expensive type of natural gas storage water heater. Conventional water heaters may share the same chimney used by the furnace or boiler. Side-vented water heaters can be vented outdoors through a wall by using a direct vent or power vent. Side-vented water heaters cost more to buy but cost a little less to operate than conventional water heaters.
• Tankless water heaters
  Instead of using a tank to store hot water, these heaters, also known as on-demand or instantaneous water heaters, only heat water when it is needed and avoid heat loss through the tank walls and water pipes. Tankless water heaters are more expensive to buy, but use less energy than storage natural gas water heaters, and reduce operating costs by about 30%. Natural gas tankless water heaters have electronic ignition and power-vented exhaust. They are usually installed close to where hot water is needed. Depending on your hot water use, a tankless water heater may not have enough capacity to meet your home’s needs.

Electric

Electric storage water heaters use electric heating elements that are located in the storage tank. Electric water heaters lose heat through the shell of the tank when hot water is not being used. New electric water heaters come with increased insulation levels around the shell of the tank that help reduce heat loss. Speak to a licensed electrician before installing an electric water heater for the first time to see if any adjustments are needed to your electrical service.

Solar

There are 2 types of solar water heating systems, passive and active. Active systems are more commonly used in cold climates like ours.

Active systems have solar collectors mounted on a roof or south facing wall. These collectors absorb the sun’s radiation through a heat transfer liquid. The radiation is converted into useable heat energy by pumping the heat transfer liquid through a heat exchanger, typically located in a secondary storage tank. This heat exchanger pre-heats the water entering the conventional hot water system, reducing the amount of energy needed to bring the water up to the desired temperature.

Solar water heating systems can operate year round and typically raise water temperatures by 5 to 10°C, which means you could save up to $175 a year on your energy bill.

• Read more about solar water heating systems

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Drain water heat recovery systems

Up to 20% of home energy consumption comes from water heating, which is the second highest energy consumer in the house next to space heating.

Drain water heat recovery systems are an energy efficient technology that can reduce your water heater’s energy consumption by up to 25%.

How it works

Drain water heat recovery systems capture lost heat from hot water going down the drain and uses it to pre-heat cold water entering your water heater, as illustrated in the diagram to the right. The result is less energy is needed to heat water to the desired temperature. Energy is saved when you are using hot water at the same time it is flowing down the drain, during a shower for example. This is known as simultaneous flow consumption.

Benefits

• Energy savings
  A typical drain water heat recovery system can reduce your water heater’s energy consumption by up to 25%. Less energy consumption means lower energy bills for you.
• Extend the life of your water heater
  Since the cold water entering your water heater is pre-heated by the drain water heat recovery system, the water heater does not have to work as hard to heat the water so your water heater may last longer.
• Flexibility
  A drain water heat recovery system is compatible with any type of water heating system and as technology changes over time, your drain water heat recovery will reduce the energy consumption of any future water heating system you choose for your home.
• Simplicity and reliability
  A drain water heat recovery system is made of copper, has no moving parts, and requires no regular maintenance. The system has a product life of well over 30 years. Once it is installed, you can simply forget about it and enjoy the reduced energy consumption and utility bill savings it provides.

Is it right for my home?

Drain water heat recovery systems are recommended for homes with basements that have higher than average hot water consumption, usually consisting of 3 or more people. If your household’s primary method of washing is taking a bath over a shower, the technology may not be right for you. The greatest energy savings can be achieved if all the occupants in the house take showers.

Drain water heat recovery systems have an extremely long product life, 30 plus years, so it may still be beneficial to install the technology right now if there will be more occupants showering in the future.

If you are building a new home, installing a drain water heat recovery system during the building process, rather than after the fact, just makes good sense as you will be saving energy the minute you move in.

Installation

We recommend a licensed plumber install the drain water heat recovery system in your home. In most basic installations, it should only take a plumber a couple of hours to install the system. Drain water heat recovery systems can be purchased through your local plumber, at a plumbing wholesaler, or online.

To ensure you are purchasing and installing a system of the highest standard, Manitoba Hydro recommends that you select a system that is certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to B55.1 and B55.2.

Drain water heat recovery systems are eligible for financing under Manitoba Hydro’s Home Energy Efficiency Loan.

For a non-exhaustive list of CSA B55.1 and B55.2 certified drain water heat recovery systems visit Natural Resources Canada’s website.

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Solar water heating

The cost of heating water accounts for approximately 20% of the energy that is used in most homes. Solar water heating systems are usually designed to supply an average household with 30 to 60% of this energy. Install a solar water heating system to reduce your energy bill and your impact on the environment.

These systems use heat from sunlight to pre-heat water that enters your water tank. Your water heater will use less energy to reach the desired temperature for all your household hot water needs.

Solar water heating systems can operate year round and typically raise water temperatures by 23 to 28°C, which means you could see savings of up to $175 a year on your energy bill.

Benefits

• lower energy bills;
• reduced greenhouse gas emissions;
• less demand on your conventional water heater system;
• improved heat recovery times;
• increased equipment life;
• use less non-renewable energy resources compared to a standard heating system;
• systems are less affected by increases in utility rates;
• a reliable, low risk investment;
• service life can exceed 25 years.

Installation costs (including equipment and labour) can vary from $5,000 to $8,000, and depend on the size, configuration, and equipment requirements. Installation costs may be lower if solar water heating systems are installed during a new home’s construction.

Solar water heating systems typically have a 25-year life expectancy. Regular maintenance is recommended to extend the system’s life and to maximize performance. Systems typically have warranty on the equipment and companies commonly offer maintenance contracts to ensure your system is functioning at an optimal level.

How it works

There are 2 types of solar water heating systems, passive and active. Active systems are more commonly used in cold climates like ours.

• Active systems have solar collectors mounted on a roof or south facing wall. These collectors absorb the sun’s radiation through a heat transfer liquid.
• The radiation is converted into useable heat energy by pumping the heat transfer liquid through a heat exchanger that transfers the energy to the water heater system.
• This heat exchanger pre-heats the water entering the conventional water heater system, reducing the amount of energy needed to heat up water to the desired temperature.

Only active systems qualify for the Home Energy Efficiency Loan.

Common active systems

The most common active systems used in Manitoba are drainback and glycol.

Drainback systems use pumps to circulate household water between the collectors and a water heater inside your home. When the collectors get cold and the pumps are turned off, water automatically drains from the collectors into a reservoir tank inside the home.

Glycol systems capture and store heat in a closed loop filled with a propylene glycol (anti-freeze) solution. The heat is transferred to the water supply by a heat exchanger.

Compare the performance, cost, installation, and maintenance of both systems.

• Drainback system:
  • water is a more efficient heat transfer liquid than glycol;
  • may be more expensive, as it requires a drainback tank;
  • careful installation is required to ensure that water drains automatically when necessary;
  • minimal annual maintenance.
• Glycol system:
  • glycol heat transfer efficiency diminishes over time;
  • may be less expensive, but requires periodic glycol replacement;
  • may be easier to install as placement of collectors and pipes is not critical for freeze protection;
  • glycol should be replaced every 2 to 5 years.

Solar collectors

Several types of solar collectors are available with the most common being flat-plate (glazed or unglazed) and evacuated tube.

A glazed flat-plate collector system consists of solar heat-absorber plates fitted with a network of copper tubes. The tubes are in a glass-covered (glazed) insulator box. The sun passes through the glass and heats up the fluid in the copper tubes. The glazing reduces the amount of heat that escapes and protects the panels from moisture and other contaminants. Most household systems consist of 1 or 2 collectors. Unglazed flat-plate collectors can absorb more of the sun’s energy but loses more heat to the air in colder weather. Unglazed collectors work well in seasonal applications like summer outdoor pool heating.

An evacuated tube collector system consists of a series of insulated glass tubes that are arranged in parallel rows, each containing a small absorber pipe. The inner pipe absorbs solar energy and transfers it to a water or glycol solution. The air between the pipe and the glass is evacuated to trap heat in (like a thermos), maximizing the amount of heat energy transferred to the fluid. These evacuated tube collector systems tend to take up less space than equivalent flat-plate collector systems.

Compare the performance, cost, installation, and maintenance of both collectors.

• Glazed flat-plate collectors:
  • typically performs better on warm, clear days;
  • may be less expensive;
  • direction and angle is less critical, providing more installation options;
  • the whole collector may need to be replaced if a portion of it fails.
• Evacuated tube collectors:
  • can produce higher output temperatures at very cold temperatures;
  • may be more expensive;
  • direction and angle is more critical, providing fewer installation options;
  • individual tubes can be easily replaced with little effect on the whole system.

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Installation costs: electric and natural gas water heaters

If you are thinking of switching from a natural gas water heater to an electric water heater, there may be additional costs to consider. Initially, you may find that an electric water heater costs about the same as a similar-sized conventional natural gas storage water heater. However, there may be additional costs if you:

• have a breaker installed;
• run a new electrical wire to the water heater;
• close up the venting from the old gas water heater;
• cap the gas line if you will no longer be using natural gas in your home;
• upgrade to the electrical panel or add a sub-panel.

Electric water heaters take longer to heat water than natural gas water heaters. To make up for longer heating times, compare the total cost of installing a larger capacity electric water heater to the cost of replacing your current natural gas water heater with a similar sized model.

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