We use a lot of electricity to heat water in our homes for showers and washing dishes and clothes. On average, about 31% of all electricity used in New Zealand homes is for heating water.
Water heating
You can save energy and money for water heating in many ways. The following list provides a summary of these ways, click on the links for more details.
- Save hot water by changing your behaviour
- Setting the temperature of your hot water cylinder properly
- Installing water saving devices such as low flow shower heads or shower flow restrictors
- Designing your plumbing system properly
- Insulating older electric water heating cylinders with a cylinder wrap and upgrading to high efficiency electric water heating cylinders
- Recovering heat in hot water going to waste by using devices such as shower heat recovery systems
- Heating your water more efficiently by using a solar water heater, heat pump water heater or wet back