info for a thicko ...

[Tugmistress]

is it cheaper to run an emmersion heater 24/7 or just put it on for an hour when you want it?

[Whitewater]

If you don't use it a lot just put it on when you need it.

[octane]

Emmersion as in an electric one ? Then no-way run 24/7 I would take out a second mortage on the the bills if you wanna do that

The most economical method is to have the immersion heater timer set to turn on to provide sufficient hot water for example 'when you get up in the morning'. It should'nt be on while you are drawing off the hot water tank ie make sure the timer is set to switch off when you get up in the morning.

Just play around with the timer too suit your day 2 day needs, theres different rates for heating but not too sure as i use a different fuel but im sure there was a night time economy rate.

Another thing is to make sure your tanks are well insulated and if you can get access to the pipework then get them lagged as well.

erm its all I can think of pal

[johnlc]

well i keep mine on 24/7 because i have noticed it is cheaper than to turn it on and off the wholetime:)

[Venture]

I agree with Octane on this one. It will cost you an arm and a leg. If you put it on according to how you need it. For instance if you are doing loads of washing keep it on for couple of hours. If its just for general use an hour in the morning lunch and teatime would suffice. If you have access to your meter try taking a note of the reading when you put it on and off and that way youll get an idea of the cost.

[Penelope Pitstop]

It should have a thermostat on it so it will turn itself on and off as it's needed to heat the water.......I think I'm right in saying that????

[octane]

Other methods of fuel react better to 24/7 running but you put your thermostat to just about minimum and let it run. I run on towns gas and this I have found by experimenting works out cheaper for winter usage.

[Tugmistress]

i don't use hot water every day in any great quantities, the dishes are done in a dishwasher, cold feed only, the washing is usually on at 40c so cold feed only (i think) a bracing wash in a morning never did anyone any harm lol so basically it is just for baths so an hour or so just before i want it should be cheaper then?

[twiglet]

Yes, Tugs, just put the emersion on an hour before you need it. They are very expensive to leave on for any extended period, used to have one in my old flat.

[Jeemag_USA]

It should have a thermostat on it so it will turn itself on and off as it's needed to heat the water.......I think I'm right in saying that????

I am pretty sure you are right, every one I ever had was always on 24hrs, the thermostat only kicks on the heating when the water in the tank drops to a certain temperature then it kicks on to heat it up from very warm to hot. if you switch it off and let the water go very cold it takes a lot longer to heat up and uses much more electricity.

[Katy]

We found it was better having it on 24/7 and our electric bills were certainly not thro the roof at all!

Have a wee try and see how it works out!

Like everyone is saying it cuts off once it gets to a certain temp so isn't actually on the whole time.

Katy x

[footie chick]

Off topic I know but is it the same for oil c/h and hot water?

[Tristan]

Either way it is probably worth investing in some extra insulation for the tank.

[Riffman]

The cheapest way will be only switching it on when you need it.

If you leave it on all the time, it will heat all the water that comes out the hot taps = more electricity. It will also have to keep heating the water to compensate for the heat lost through the walls of the tank.

Switching it on about an hour before you need it is the best way to go.

I did think about writing a huge explaination of heat loss calculations etc, but it is just easier not to.

[Buttercup]

I am pretty sure you are right, every one I ever had was always on 24hrs, the thermostat only kicks on the heating when the water in the tank drops to a certain temperature then it kicks on to heat it up from very warm to hot. if you switch it off and let the water go very cold it takes a lot longer to heat up and uses much more electricity.

I have to agree with Jeemag. Mine is always on and my bills are certainly not that high. The convenience of having hot water whenever you need it far outweighs the cost. My life's too spontaneous to have to wait for the water to heat up before I could have a bath, more so if you've young bairns. I would forget to turn the blooming thing on! [mad]

[TBH]

is it cheaper to run an emmersion heater 24/7 or just put it on for an hour when you want it?I would imagine if you kept it on 24/7 then the thermostat would only need to kick in every so often to keep the water at the desired temperature. Leave it off and the water will take longer to heat up again when needed. I think you would save money by leaving it on.

[matelot79]

Some links for reading if you wish. No doubt there will always be arguments about this and me being in the electrical trade, someone will say this and you go that makes sense and the next day someone else will say that and you go that makes sense too. So until someone gets a couple of hundred thousand pound grant (and in the process aids global warming) we will never know for sure. The electricity suppliers aren’t going to tell you as the profits might go down a couple of million.

http://www.eso.ed.ac.uk/Energy/FAQs.shtm (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://www.eso.ed.ac.uk/Energy/FAQs.shtm)

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=53280 (http://forum.caithness.org/go.php?url=http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=53280)

[Bill Fernie]

is it cheaper to run an emmersion heater 24/7 or just put it on for an hour when you want it?

I found many years ago that you could turn the thromostat down with a small screw on the top of the tank. My thinking was in rerlation to baths where I was adding lotsof cold water. Why pay to heat the water up and then pour gallons of cold water in to cool it down to be able to get into the bath. Just keep turning the thermostat down small amount each day until you reach a point where there is enough to fill a bath and any other activity needing hot water at about the same time.

To some extent it might be inconvenient to have to wait until the water heats up again but it will save quite bit of money over year to tunr it down. then as discussed above you can consider leaving it on 24/7 as it will not require to be heated up to the same very hot tempertature.

[j4bberw0ck]

is it cheaper to run an emmersion heater 24/7 or just put it on for an hour when you want it?

Logically, just when you need it. Anything else is a waste unless you have absolutely perfect insulation on your water tank - and I mean, absolutely perfect.

And you don't. Trust me on this!

[George Brims]

We had this discussion just a few months ago. Physics lesson coming up (again).

The heat you have to pay for comes in two categories; the heat in the hot water you actually use, and the heat that escapes while that hot water is sitting waiting for you to use it. The first part won't change if you leave the heater off except when you want to make some hot water. The second part will be more the more hours in the day there is water sitting there hot. So it will cost a little more to leave the immersion heater on 24/7 than to turn it on when you anticipate using hot water. However if you have a well insulated tank (and pipes) it shouldn't make a lot of difference.

A lot of people over here are buying these tankless heaters that heat the water as you use it, so you only pay for the hot water you actually use. Conversely some people have installed a system that sends the hot water in a loop from the water heater to the far end of the house so they never have to wait for the hot water to run before taking a shower. That is pretty wasteful since the heat escaping from that loop of pipe can be considerable, though again plentiful insulation improves things a lot.

[Julia]

You could replace the switch with a timed one, I always used to forget to switch the water heater off, the switches are easy to fit and quite cheap, once you press the button it automatically turns off after one hour.

[j4bberw0ck]

some people have installed a system that sends the hot water in a loop from the water heater to the far end of the house so they never have to wait for the hot water to run before taking a shower. That is pretty wasteful

I wonder, though, if that sort of system is installed in energy-rich, water-poor States? It would make a lot of sense in those circumstances.