Hot Water Without Breaking the Bank

Times are tough.

Inflation. Soaring prices. Wage Stagnation.

Each of us is doing what we can to make the most of what we’ve got.

Decreasing spending. Pinching pennies. Rethinking luxuries we’ve taken for granted in better times.

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in this familiar situation: You sit down to balance your checkbook and find that the withdrawals exceed the deposits AGAIN. Something needs to change! You already make sure to turn off all the lights when you leave a room. You’ve turned the heat down a few degrees and put on a couple layers. That trip to Bermuda for your anniversary looks like it may be off the table. What more CAN you do?!? Just as you’re about to throw in the towel, you hear it: That all-too-familiar click and rumble of your boiler firing up, draining the last pennies from your already thin wallet. But wait… it’s not even cold outside! You’ve set the thermostats above today’s expected low temperature, so there’s no need for heat. Have you ever considered why it’s still running?

Maybe you’ve never given it a second thought, but some houses utilize an oil burner not just for heating the home, but for heating and maintaining hot water as well. That water you’re paying to heat may not even get used before the oil burner has to fire up again to heat the very same water, keeping it hot and ready just in case you might need it. If no one is home for hours on end, this cycle could repeat countless times before hot water is even needed!

The hard truth is that when an oil-fired burner is utilized to maintain hot water, wasted oil is an inevitable consequence, regardless of the season. This waste is even greater during periods where the burner isn’t being used to heat the house! An oil-fired boiler that is simply used to heat water has a lower efficiency than one that also heats your home. Unless you’re prepared to turn off the oil burner after each use, preemptively turning it back on in anticipation of your upcoming need, the boiler must continue to maintain water temperatures, regardless of your actual need for hot water.

Perhaps in the past, this was a necessary evil, but with oil prices climbing by leaps and bounds on a daily basis, is there a way to alleviate this unnecessary waste?

Indeed, there is and Heiland Home Services knows just the trick! If you have been hit particularly hard by the exponential rise of heating oil costs, contact us today to discuss the possibility of switching your home to an energy efficient hot water heater! Electric heaters are more efficient than gas heaters because the wasted gas must be vented, taking part of the heat with it. An electric heater converts virtually all of the energy it receives into hot water, resulting in minimal waste.

While putting money out of pocket to purchase another source of generating hot water (when you already have one) seems counter-intuitive, sometimes you have to spend money to save money! It won’t be long until you’ve paid off your initial investment and drastically reduced the heating oil costs that are bleeding your budget dry! In addition to the savings you can expect to see on your oil bill, electric hot water heaters are also more environmentally friendly and easier to maintain!

Ultimately, comparison of electric vs oil hot water heaters comes down to your needs, unit efficiency, and current utility rates (Electric: ¢/kwh and Oil: $/gallon). If just the THOUGHT of making a decision like this on your own is enough to make you cry, don’t worry, Heiland Home Services is here to help!

Contact us today to go over your options and make sure you are making the right decision for your water heating needs! You might be surprised how reasonable a switch to an electric water heater can be, and we’d love the chance to show you why Heiland Home Services customers consistently rate us 5/5!

Heiland Home Services is your “go to” for local residential plumbing services. Contact us today!