Heating water accounts for 25% of most natural gas bills. But it doesn’t have to. You can cut hot-water costs by increasing your heater’s efficiency and reducing wasted water. And getting back to the heart of why Greenthinkers exists in the first place, let’s look at some tips to show you how…

Save with Your Water Heater

• Insulate at least the first 2 metres (6 feet) of the hot water pipe and 1 metre (3 feet) of the cold water pipe leading from your hot water tank.

Safety Requirement: Don’t use pipe wrap or other insulation within 15 centimetres (6 inches) of your water heater’s draft hood (which prevents backdraft from entering your water heater through the vent) or flue exhaust vent (the pipe that lets fumes created by your water heater escape).

• Once a year, drain about 4 litres of water from the valve at the bottom of your tank. This will remove the small amounts of sediment from your water supply that can gradually build up in your tank.

• Keep your hot water at 54°C (130°F) to save energy and avoid scalds.

Save in Your Kitchen

• Fix dripping faucets right away—hot water that drips for a month could fill 16 bathtubs (about 3,600 litres).

• Install aerators on your taps.

• Don’t run your water continuously while washing dishes by hand.

• Wait until your dishwasher is full, and use the energy-saving cycle.

• Open your dishwasher’s door to let dishes air dry instead of using the drying cycle.

Save in Your Bathroom

• Don’t leave your hot water running while you shave, and turn it down while you shampoo.

• Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.

• Take a shower instead of a bath—you’ll use far less water.