Did you know that one of the easiest ways to save energy can be completely automated? Even better is that you might never notice the difference – except on your energy bill. According to the US Department of Energy, you can save up to 10% on energy bills each year by setting your thermostat back 7-10 degrees for 8 hours a day. This way, while you’re away from home or sound asleep, your heating and cooling equipment isn’t using as much energy – or costing you as much money.
With today’s technology, you can automate this process with just a tap on your iPhone. Using products such as the Ecobee EB-SmartSi-01 Home Series Smart SI Programmable Wireless Thermostat, you can make adjustments to your thermostat program on the go from your tablet, computer, or smartphone. So if you’re coming home from work early and want to cool off your house before you arrive, you can change the settings from the office and enter a comfortable home. Many are using this flexibility for even greater savings. In fact, ecobee users are saving an average of 26% a year, more than double what the DOE suggests!
Another great option for saving energy and money is using a tankless water heater. Conventional water heaters that use a tank will always try to maintain the pre-set temperature of the water stored in the tank. This means that even if no water has been drawn from the tank, the temperature of the water will drop naturally (since the heater is not always operating) and periodically need to be reheated, using up extra energy when you're not even using the water.
On the other hand, a tankless heater, like one of these made by Noritz, doesn't store any water, so there's no need to expend needless energy maintaining a constant temperature. In the case of a tankless water heater, water enters the heater only once you turn on the faucet, and the heater only turns on once it senses the water entering. Thus, since you only heat water when you need it (it only takes about 5 seconds to heat up), you save tons of energy that would wasted maintaining water temperature in conventional water heaters. In fact, Nortiz suggests that with one of its tankless water heaters, you can save nearly 50% each month on your hot water energy bill!