One of the biggest energy drains in your Illinois home – next to your air conditioner – is your hot water heater or hot water system. Most experts estimate that it uses up to 25% of your total home energy use – that’s a quarter of your bill every month!
We all like our water hot when we need it to be hot, of course, but in the summer months switching to a lower setting can make a huge difference – right when your air conditioning system is pushing your energy bill higher and higher.

Reducing your hot water temperature from 140 degrees to 120 can reduce your heating bill by a lot and if you’re like most people, you take a cooler shower in the summer time anyway. It’s a perfect time to cut back on super-heated showers.
Here are a few more tips relative to your home’s water heater:

• Make sure your water heater has an energy efficient rating. Any water heater that’s too old can be easily replaced with one that saves you energy.
• Keep your water heater properly maintained (at least once a year, drain the sediment that keeps the water from heating as quickly).
• Insulate your water heater using an inexpensive water heater wrap or insulation kit to keep the heat from being lost through walls of the tank.
• Some water heaters have vacation settings, but even if yours doesn’t consider manually changing the setting if you’ll be gone from your home more than a couple of days.
• Consider insulating the longer lengths of water supply pipe to cut down on lost heat there too. You can find water pipe insulation kits at your nearby hardware store.