hi
We will be away for 3 weeks. Is it advisable to switch off the gas water heater to save on gas costs? When we had the electric gas water heater in the previous place, I would switch it off whilst away for more than a week.
thanks
Switch-off Gas Hot Water System Whilst Away for 3 Weeks?
LCheapSticks on 06/09/2017 - 10:15
Comments
You still pay the daily supply charge which is the majority of you bill anyway.
Just recently moved into a new place with Gas and I'm paying 108.33c a day for supply charge, in SEQ - I barely use gas so I'm curious if there's a way to reduce this?!
Not that I'm aware of. It sucks, the only gas I use is stove top and I have to pay a daily $1 supply charge. My actual usage is about $3 a month.
There's not. You either pay or abolish the service. I predict gas will be phased out in the coming decades as solar and battery gain traction.
I did that with my first wife to save money. On the way home, she told me how much she was looking forward to a long hot shower. We are now divorced.
You switched off your wife for 3 weeks while on holiday? You should have waited to get home before switching her on again. :)
It's not so easy to turn on the wife you know..
If it has a pilot light that can be a bit of a nuisance trying to relight it… might be easier to just turn the thermostat down a little.
Some have holiday modes, where the light doesn't go off, just turned down to a very small flame. So there is no hassle of relighting.
Turning down the temp is alternative, but not the same, as the min temp is still around 50 degrees instead of the 60-70 of normal. So the savings are small, and nothing compared to switching off/on holiday mode.
Definitely worth doing it. I do it even for a week.
The fact is you are paying (and producing co2) to keep your water around 60-70 degrees 24/7 all the time, when the natural temp is around 10 degrees (my guess of water temp in pipes). So that 50-60 degrees for 150 liters (or whatever your tank is) is the amount of energy required. Is no small amount of waste.
It's your call - I didn't when I went away for 4 weeks, I wanted a hot shower when I came home. I don't think the cost of standby gas would be so high, but if you want to save a few dollars then go for it. Just remember to relight it when you get back.