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What is the Cheapest Way to Heat Hot Water?

Are you looking for the most efficient way to heat water? Are you struggling to choose between a gas or electric water heater? You’re not alone! Thousands of Kiwis share the same sentiment. Recognizing this problem, we thought of preparing a quick guide to discuss your options and the pros and cons of each type of water heating setup. Hopefully, by going through our discussion below, you can identify the best option for your property.

Gas vs. Electric Water Heaters

The debate between using a gas or electric water heater has been around for years. That’s because both options present varying benefits to potential users. If you’re not sure which of the two you should pick, here are the key factors you should consider when you go shopping:

  • Accessibility – This refers to the ease of using the water heater.
  • Size – When shopping for a water heating system, make sure you take into consideration the size of the tank. This way, you can increase you heating system’s efficiency and avoid producing too much or too little hot water for your home.
  • Efficiency – This aspect specifically looks into how well a water heating system operates and how much energy it uses to do the job.
  • Maintenance requirements – Needless to say, choosing a water heating system that requires little to no maintenance is the best choice.
  • Installation – The installation of both types of water heating options are straightforward. However, you may need to consider a few complications when switching from one system to another. Be sure to consider this aspect when choosing a new type of water heater.

Operational Cost: What’s The Cheapest Option to Heat Water?

Now that you know the basic factors to consider when choosing between an electric and gas heater, let’s deep dive into the operational costs involved. As you might already know, most homeowners base their decisions on the cost of running a water heater, simply because the expenses tend to add up to the monthly budget of families. In fact, water heating costs accounts for up to 30 percent of a household’s monthly electricity bill.

To help you choose between the two, here’s a breakdown of their average operational costs:

  • Gas Heater – Gas-powered water heaters come in two options. Between the two, most people opt for the gas continuous flow because of its high efficiency. On average, it costs between NZD 750 to 950 per year to run this type of heater for an small household if you have a natural gas connection. You may also use an LPG tank and pay around $850 a year. You can even reduced the costs if you have gas supply for other heating purposes.
  • Electric Heater – Electric water heater installation costs are almost equal to gas water heaters. However, the running costs have a bit of difference. Notably, an average Kiwi household with three people spends about NZD 1000 a year to run an electric water heater. The cost may also fluctuate depending on the electricity rates and night tariff.

Gas Water Heating Remains the Cheapest Choice

Want to learn more about how gas-powered water heaters work? Would you like to install a gas water heating system in your home? Contact Water Heater Brokers at 0800 692 672 so we can help you figure out which type of gas water heater you should use and schedule your water heating system installation.

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Common Cold Water Expansion Problems. Leaky Hot Water Cylinder Valve.

Do you have a mains pressure hot water cylinder? Is the overflow constantly draining? Or the relief valve leaking water? In other words, do you have a pipe sticking outside the house maybe going into a gully/ drain that is always dripping water? If so, it will be an issue with one or both of your relief valves.

What is a relief valve?

A relief valve is the most important part of the mains pressure hot water system, it protects the tank from over pressurizing. When hot water is used and the element or gas fire starts up to begin the reheating process, the heat increases, and so does the pressure. In order to prevent the tank from bursting, the excess pressure caused by heat needs to be removed from the tank. This is where relief valves come into play. The relief valve will open when specific conditions are met, which is usually when the pressure increases to a point which the valve is designed to open or if the temperature increases too much

Cold Water Expansion Valve (CWE) does all the day to day reliving of pressure, the valve is fitted to the cold water inlet of the cylinder. The CWE is the first valve to relief pressure on a mains pressure system, it will be set to relieve at a lower pressure setting when compared to the TPR valve, they are designed to be the first to relieve because they are fitted to the cold water inlet, this means all the day to day relieving of pressure is through cold water, and not hot water, this in turn will save you money on power as it will not be wasting hot water.

 

Temperature Pressure Relief (TPR) is designed to be a secondary back up if the cold-water expansion valve fails but also relives water in the event of overheating. If your system is fitted with a cold water expansion valve, and the TPR is dripping water, that will mean there is an issue with the TPR valve and should be replaced.

Check out one of our older blogs to find out more about cold water expansion valves here and the benefits of having one if you do not have one already.

Importance of maintaining relief valves

There are several things that can cause issues with relief valves, and if regular maintenance is not performed, you could be left with higher water bills, higher power bills and even a flooded house in extreme cases. For this demonstration we have cut an RMC Cold Water Expansion valve in half to help show the way the valve works.

Continuous water dripping through overflow or relief drain

Debris or sediment, If you live in an area with lots of building and road works going on, or even if you have an old style water main that may be falling apart internally, this can cause large amounts of debris to make its way into your homes water supply, this debris gets stuck in seal of the relief valve will cause the valve to never be able to shut properly, this will cause a continuous flow of water, this is an issue that should be addressed immediately as the continuous flow of water through the valve will cause holes in the brass and can even cause the water to spray from the brass of the valve itself causing a flood inside the house, in some cases you may be able to avoid the need to call a plumber by simply flushing the valve on a regular basis (recommended every 6 months) otherwise the valve may just need a good clean to repair the issue.

Old, expired cartridge, with age the rubber will become brittle and will start to deteriorate, in some cases you are able to simply replace the cartridge, like with the RMC Cold Water Expansion valve, which is easily, and inexpensively replaceable, other causes could be that the return spring has lost its “springiness”, so it is not able to fight the pressure to close again properly

Hard water conditions, sometimes the water supply you get is not ideal, it may contain things that could corrode these valves or even appliances using the water in a short amount of time. If you believe this may be your issue, we recommend getting your water quality tested to ensure.

Preventative measures

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How long does a hot water cylinder last NZ?

 

Hot cylinders have been here for a long time. They’re one of the most common forms of hot water heating system in New Zealand that’s proven to be reliable and cost-effective. Hot water cylinders tend to last for 8 to 15 years, depending on the type and quality of the unit.

However, hot water cylinders still need adequate and regular maintenance despite the expected long life. No matter what kind of water heater you have, if you don’t take care and check its condition regularly, it can spell early doom for your equipment. 

The unfortunate reality is some hot water cylinders last shorter than they should. After five years, some families might have to get rid of their water heaters. On the other hand, others might be lucky enough to keep their units running for 15 years.

Making the time to monitor the status of your cylinder makes the difference between having to buy a new heater right after your warranty runs out and being able to keep it for a few more years.

So, how can you keep your hot water cylinder running for a longer time? Here are some things you can do:

  1. Check the Anode Rod. Anode rod corrosion causes hot water cylinder failure. To prevent this, check its condition regularly, Replacing if necessary.
  2. Remove Limescale. Limescale can cause your water heater to lose efficiency. Flushing your heater with pure white vinegar will remove limescale buildup.
  3. Flush out Sediments. Hot water cylinders need annual flushing to clean out the tank’s bottom sediment.

Of course, if you’re unfamiliar with working with hot water cylinders, you don’t need to force yourself. We always recommend contacting a reputable hot water cylinder specialist like Hot Water Cylinders NZ for any service or repair difficulties. 

Reach us today at 0800 4 CYLINDERS or 0800 429 546.