What’s a Smart Water Heater?

In the past, we’ve talked about many different smart appliances that are available to Canadians. One smart device you may not have heard of is a smart water heater. Smart water heaters connect to your mobile device to give you more control over the temperature. Many also have a water leak detection and auto shut-off feature. But why would you want more control over your water heater anyways? What’s the real benefit of investing in a smart water heater over the dumb water heater you already have?

Heating Water Eats a Lot of Energy

Heating and cooling your home to keep it comfortable is the number one energy use for your house. After your furnace and A/C, comes your water heater. On average, 18% of your home’s utility bill is going towards heating water. But while it’s wonderful to have hot water on demand whenever you turn on your tap, most Calgarians aren’t at home turning on their taps during of the day nor are most of us awake during the night. Smart water heaters save you money by following your schedule and not heating water while you’re not using it.

How Much Energy Can You Save?

In today’s environmentally-conscious world, many of us are washing our clothing with cold water, having shorter showers, and otherwise reducing our demand for hot water. That means that for many Calgarians, washing dishes and showers/baths are their only real hot water usage. Which brings the question of why are we heating a full tank of water all day and night instead of just the times when we’re running our dishwasher and want to shower? Depending on your hot water usage, upgrading to a smart water heater can save you between 10-30% on water heating.

What’s the Cost?

If you need to replace an old water heater, and you want to upgrade to a smart water heater or smart tankless water heater, it won’t be cheap. A conventional water heater is around $400, while a smart water tank will cost around three times that amount. Fortunately, there are options that can retrofit a dumb water heater into a smart heater much more affordably. An Aquanta, for example, costs around $150, and beyond controlling your water tank to meet your scheduled hot water demand, it has a leak sensor that will send you an email or text message if it detects moisture.

Smart water heaters are pretty nifty appliances that can help your home save a lot of energy and money in the long run. While we aren’t recommending that every Albertan go out and replace their old hot water tank, a retrofit option that works with your current tank may be a smart investment. If you want to discuss your options for saving energy with a friendly Calgary plumber, our team is here to help! Give us a call today.