One of the best ways to reduce energy costs during a Georgia winter is to increase the amount of insulation in your home. One appliance that will benefit greatly from added insulation is your water heater. It produces a great deal of heat, but a lot of that energy can be lost if the tank has inadequate insulation. That loss forces your heater to work harder — costing you money.

You can create a more energy-efficient heater by using blanket insulation. In fact, adding extra insulation to a water heater can prevent heat loss by 45 percent. Check your heater’s manual to determine the R-value of the existing insulation. Tanks with existing insulation above R-24 will not benefit as much from blanket insulation. You can also touch the sides of the tank. If you can feel heat, blanket insulation will help.

Place a sheet of rigid insulation on the floor or surface under your water heater. This will create up to an additional 9 percent energy savings. This is most effective when installing a new heater. However, you can cut the insulation to fit around feet and pipe fittings on the bottom of an existing tank.

Place a sheet of heater insulation over the top of the unit. Tape the corners of the blanket to the sides of the heater. Do not insulate the top of a gas-heated water tank, as this can cause combustion problems and may catch fire.

Place a larger blanket around the body of the tank. Tape the edges closed with tape. Cut out openings for the heating element box or combustion air vents. Cut out necessary openings for pipes.

For help with all of your HVAC needs, contact the experienced professionals at Powers Heating and Air today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Powers Heating & Air serves Peachtree, GA and the surrounding areas.  Visit our websiteto see our special offers and get started today!      

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