Protect Your Child, Your Wallet, and Your World with One Spin of the Dial
December 28, 2008 by Steph
When I was pregnant with my first child, a colleague gave me a great piece of advice about labor: “Remember that you only have one contraction at a time.” I’ve since discovered that this advice has broad applications; I often remind myself of it when I become overwhelmed with parenting or fighting global warming. The end results I want in both arenas are really the culmination of many small actions, just as the birth of my daughter was the result of many (many!) contractions.
Global warming sounds so big (ginormous, as my youngest would say) that it is easy to feel overwhelmed or inconsequential. However, we can all make small changes, many of which benefit us directly. Collectively we can make a positive difference for the environment. As I remind my kids when we’re faced with a messy room, many hands make light work. None of us has to assume the mantle of responsibility for the entire world but we can all help to clean up the mess!
Today we’re talking about water heaters. By lowering the temperature setting on your hot water heater, you’ll garner three main benefits for your family:
(1) Protection for your child. Water heated at 140º F, the typical setting for hot water heaters, is dangerous for children. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries, hot water from household taps accounts for nearly 25% of all scald burns among children. Scaldings are the most common type of burn-related injury among young children. A child exposed to 140º F water will sustain a third-degree burn, an injury which would require hospitalization and skin grafts, in only three seconds due to their thinner skin. Turning down the temperature on the household hot water heater is a protective change parents can make easily.
(2) Shelter for your wallet. Hot water heaters are the third largest energy users in most homes, accounting for more than 17% of a typical household’s utility expenses. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, each 10º F reduction in water temperature will save 3 to 5% in energy costs. But the savings don’t stop there. Lowering the temperature on your hot water heater will also slow corrosion and mineral buildup in your water heater and pipes. By keeping the temperature lower, you’ll help your heater last longer. If you have an electric water heater, make sure to check if there are two thermostats. If so, set them to the same level so one heating element is not working harder, thus wearing out prematurely.
(3) Sustaining the world. The reduction in energy use won’t just save you money; it will also cut your CO2 emissions, one of the main contributors to global warming. Turning the dial on your hot water heater from 140º F down to 120º F will save up to 733 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, according to Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices. Not bad for such an easy change!
Action Step
Turn your hot water heater’s thermostat to 120º F. Collectively this would prevent more than 45 million tons of CO2 emissions annually!
If you have an older dishwasher, one without a booster heater, look for a warm water detergent once you have lowered your hot water heater’s temperature. Water of 130º F to 140º F is necessary to dissolve some dishwasher detergents.
Bonus Activity
If you plan to be away from home for several days or more, consider turning your thermostat to the lowest setting or even turning your water heater off completely. You can easily turn off an electric water heater by switching off its circuit breaker. If you have a gas water heater, make sure you know how to safely relight the pilot light before shutting down completely!
If all this has you thinking about installing a new hot water heater, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to help you pick the right one.
This is my submission to January’s Green Moms Carnival. This month’s host is The Not Quite Crunchy Parent. Be sure to visit them for a compilation of the selected articles on global warming! If you are interested in submitting an article for future carnivals, visit Green Moms Carnival for upcoming topics and more information.
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*Sigh* We turned down our hot water heater a year ago, and while we are saving money as well as the environment, I have to say that my shower is just not as much fun as it used to be. I’m the type that doesn’t feel fully “done” until my skin is practically blistered. Just like my mom. Well, no one said I had to like it, right?
Beth,
Have you tried experimenting with the temperature? If you went up 5 degrees, it would probably feel much warmer to you now.
I had the same issue with our heater’s thermostat. I tried taking it down to 65F during the winter and was just miserable. (I think it reminded me too much of grad school in upstate NY when I was cold to the bone for months at a time!) I went back up to 69, then 68, and am now at 67 contemplating another decrease. My body really needed the smaller moves to adjust.
Might be worth a try.
I, like Beth, turned our hot water heater down a year ago. We inched it up by about 5 degrees a couple months ago and it feels like heaven. Beth, inch yours up and see what you think.
We lowered the temperature on our water heater when our oldest was born, more for her safety than for the environment, so I guess I have forgotten what a HOT shower feels like. They went the way of sleeping in on weekends and spontaneous movies with my husband!
One of my worst sins in our otherwise fairly well-behaved green household is an affinity for hot showers! So we have some little sand-timers stuck to the tiles now to try and manage how long we can let the water flow.
I will definitely head down to our water heater tomorrow to adjust our dial – great suggestion! Four minutes will seem plenty long if my towel feels warmer than the water.
Another tip: wash clothes in cold water. i wash everything in cold water except towels and none of the clothes are any worse for wear.
Heh, can I admit that one of the few things I love living in a dorm because I have no control over my water heater and thus am allowed to enjoy my blistering hot showers guilt free? ;)
Arduous, living in a dorm has enough drawbacks that I think you should fully enjoy those showers!
Diane, thanks for adding this tip here. Reduce is the first R and applies to hot water as well as to products.
Christine, watching the length of showers is also a great suggestion. I like the sand timer idea much more than some of the electronic timers I have seen. I have enough beeping at me in the morning!
Great tips made interesting and accessible. I’m going to go check our water heater setting now. Nicely done!
Thanks Alline! This was one of the changes that seemed complicated to me before we did it but once I saw it was simply spinning a dial, I couldn’t believe it took us so long.