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Community Environmental Efficient Council Join your neighbors in saving energy and money

Greening your life

Water heaters account for 14 to 25% of the average household’s energy use. Heating water for showers, baths, washing machines and dishwashers can add to your gas and electricity bill, as well as increase your carbon footprint. The good news is that there are some basic steps you can take (as well as new technologies on the market) that can benefit your wallet and our environment.

Five Steps: Get Started with Water Heating

LOWER THE WATER INSTALL LOW-FLOW INSULATE YOUR DRAIN THE FIX LEAKS TEMPERATURE FIXTURES WATER HEATER SEDIMENTS FROM AND PIPES THE TANK

1Reduce your water 2Typical showerheads 3Reduce your water 4Drain at least one quart 5You can significantly heater to 120 flow at about three heating costs up to of water from your hot reduce hot water use by degrees—or to the low to eight gallons per 10% by installing a water tank every three simply repairing leaks to medium setting. Each minute. New advanced water heater insulation months to remove in fixtures—faucets 10 degree reduction showerheads reduce blanket around the sediment. This increases and showerheads—or will save three to five flow rates to two to three water tank. Also, insulate the unit’s life and pipes. A leak of one drip percent on your water gallons per minute, and all exposed hot water improves its efficiency. per second adds over a heating costs can save you up to 50% lines to increase the dollar a month to your on your hot water costs temperature at the energy bill. without reducing water faucet by two to four pressure. degrees and reduce heat loss through the pipes.

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Ready to upgrade your water heater? Most water heaters last about 10 to 15 years, and when they die, they die quickly—and upgradeoften at the worst possible moment. In an emergency situation like this, most of us don’t have the time to research the best alternative replacement technology, and we may end up with the technology that our plumber is most familiar with or that is in stock. On the other hand, planning a retrofit for a home or business can provide significant energy savings and cost savings.

TANKLESS OR ‘ON DEMAND’ WATER HEATERS before rebates, and upgrading a gas line can cost $2,000 or more depending on size, length of line, and location. With an annual What are they? energy savings of 30%, a tankless heater can almost pay for itself Rather than keeping large amounts of water hot at all times (which within its lifetime if you don’t have to replace the gas line. is as inefficient as it sounds), on-demand units heat water directly over a and send it to the shower, dishwasher, Finding a tankless dealer courtesy of the American Council or sink as soon as you turn on the tap. Because on-demand for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) : units don’t store water, they are typically much smaller than standard waters heaters—providing an added benefit for condos, Bosch (Aquastar) Paloma Rheem/Ruud apartments and other small spaces. 866.330.2725 866.720.2076 boschhotwater.com rheemtankless.com The downsides: Santa Barbara’s ‘hard’ water can cause scale Bradford White Rinnai buildup on tankless water heating elements, potentially reducing 800.523.2931 866.746.6241 efficiency and function. Soft water systems are suggested. Also, bradfordwhite.com foreverhotwater.com tankless heaters often require installation of larger gas lines, as Eccotemp SEISCO they require more than 40,000 BTUs per hour. (You can find out the 866.356.1992 888.296.9293 size of your gas line simply by contacting your local plumber or eccotemp.com seisco.com building contractor.) Infinion Takagi 800.873.3507, 888.882.5244 How much do they cost? tanklesswaterheaters.com takagi.com Tankless water heaters are most cost-effective when installed Monitor Products during new construction. Replacing an existing storage tank water 800.524.1102 heater with a tankless unit can run between $2,500 and $3,500 monitorproducts.com

SOLAR THERMAL WATER HEATERS WITH GAS OR ELECTRIC STORAGE rebates). Overall, a solar assist system with a 20-year life can save over $3,700 on your energy bill with gas storage, and $7,100 over What are they? the life of the system with electric storage. Also new federal tax These technologies rely on the sun’s thermal energy to pre-heat credits, state rebates, and local financing programs can make these water—reducing the amount of gas or electricity required to heat systems much more affordable. stored water to the desired temperature. Water is run through a ‘solar collector,’ or pipes on the roof where the water is heated by solar energy. The heated water is then sent to the existing storage tank, LOCAL INSTALLERS: making this system ideal for retrofits as well as new construction. Mac’s Solar The Solar Energy Company 805.682.3386 805.962.8898 How much do they cost? While annual energy savings of 43 percent for gas or 50 percent Dexter’s Solar Radiant for electric can dramatically reduce your energy bill, solar does Heating entail a high initial investment of approximately $6,000 (after 805.884.5188 www.cecsb.org • 805.963.0583 Get Started with CEC

HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS three years when factoring in the new $300 federal rebate. Even switching from a gas storage tank to an electric air source heat What are they? pump (assuming the electrical capacity currently exists) pays water heaters transfer heat from the surrounding air or for itself within its approx. ten year lifetime. And think about the ground to water in the heater’s tank. Heat pumps are very efficient climate change benefits if the new electric system were operated compared to the typical electric-powered tank-type water heaters. via solar energy! Air source heat pumps require a large surrounding air space if they use ambient air as the heat source, making them a less attractive We are working to increase heat pump availability in our technology for replacement of a traditional water heater in a closet. region. In the meantime, several potential manufacturers However, if your water heater is in a larger space like the garage, an are listed by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient air source heat pump would actually cool the surrounding air – an Economy (ACEEE): added benefit in hotter seasons! Beyond Pollution, Inc.—Air­­ Tap How much do they cost? 866.903.8835, beyondpollution.com Air source heat pumps are being installed in other parts of the Nyle International—Nyletherm­ country for around $1500. Ground source heat pumps are a bit 207.942.2865, nyletherm.com more expensive due to underground drilling and piping, but are Trevor-Martin—Hot Water Generator more reliable due to near-constant temperatures below ground. trevormartin.com Upgrading from an electric storage tank water heater to an electric air source heat pump with double the efficiency pays for itself in

How do they compare? Tankless, solar, and heat pump water heating technologies are suitable for both compareresidential and commercial buildings. When choosing a system, you’ll want to consider the building size and the needs of the occupants. While some of these systems have noticeable up-front costs, it’s important to consider the energy costs and savings over the life of the appliance. This is particularly important for those people looking to stabilize their utility bills, as it is likely that energy costs will continue to rise in the future. (Table below uses constant energy costs)

Tankless Gas Tankless Gas Solar Solar Electric Low Cost High Cost w/ Gas w/ Electric Heat Pump

Energy Factor 0.8 0.8 1 1.8 2 Annual Energy Savings 74 therms 74 therms 111 therms 2424 kWh 2662 kWh Annual Monetary Savings $123 $123 $185 $359 $394 Life Expectancy (years) 20 20 20 20 10 Lifetime Savings ($) $2,469 $2,469 $3,703 $7,175 $3,940 Installed Cost ($) $2,500 $3,500 $7,500 $7,500 $1,500 Tax Credit/Rebate ($) $300 $300 30%/$2,175 30%/$1,834 $300 Payback (years) 10.82 18.92 10 5.5 1.14

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Case Study Robin and Richard Birney

Energy Type: Type of System: Noritz tankless water heater Recovery Rate: 189 gallons/hour Electricity Required: AC 120 Volts Baseline natural gas use: 465 therms per year Current natural gas use: 230 therms per year Percentage energy use Reduction: 50.5%

When Robin and Richard Birney decided to remodel their home, Additionally, their old water heater had vented through a pipe their passion for preserving the environment meant that green that ran through an extra bedroom, if there was ever a leak it was the only way to go. While LEED certification was not an option could have caused carbon monoxide poisoning. The new heater is wfor remodeled homes, they decided to follow the LEED NC (New located outside the home, which means there is less danger to the Construction) checklist with the goal of meeting the standards of owners and their guests. a LEED Certified home. They knew that this would not only create a healthier home, but also reduce their energy costs, minimize The only slight inconvenience? It does take an extra minute for the their impact on the environment, and get them “front of the bathroom across the house (and up the stairs) to get hot water line” privileges for expedited building permits through the City of in the morning. Overall though, the family has been very pleased Ventura’s Planning Department. with their reduced energy bills, abundance of hot water and extra storage space in their garage. It’s agreed, after 18 months in their With an eye toward energy efficiency and space conservation, new home, the Birney’s would do it all again. along with advice from their general contractor, Allen Associates, the family decided to install a tankless water heater. Since they were already redoing their entire plumbing and electric infrastructure, keeping the heater as close as possible to the gas main, the additional costs were minimal. The remodel added an additional shower and a dishwasher to the Birney home, but the home’s post-construction natural gas use was still 40% below what they had used in previous years!

26 West Anapamu Street 2nd Floor Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.963.0583 cecsb.org www.cecsb.org • 805.963.0583 Updated 04/2014