Drip, Drip, Drip…There Go Your Profits

One drip of water per second wastes 1,661 gallons of water per year according to the Department of Energy. Building owners need to develop strategies to keep consumption and heating costs down. While parts of Northeast Ohio are seeing rents increase, others are seeing decreases. What can a building owner or manager do to improve their bottom line?
Inexpensive reductions can be made by making sure all faucets and showerheads are aerating, low flow. This will cut down on the amount of water used as well as the amount of water you have to heat. Reducing the thermostat on the hot water tank to 120 degrees Fahrenheit will provide you with additional savings. The default setting on many water heaters is 140 degrees. Create a preventive maintenance program (PM) to stop leaks before they happen. Toilet flapper valves always go bad. Replace it as part of your PM program.

You can also look at insulating pipes to reduce heat loss. Caution should be taken when adding insulation and you must follow the manufacture’s recommendations as to how and where insulation can be placed. Draining a quart of water from the system every three months to remove sediment can also make your system operate more efficiently.

When the time comes to replace the water heater consider a tankless water heater. Heating costs will go down, but it is difficult to calculate an ROI because of the higher installation costs. However, with no recovery time, morning calls about no hot water in the shower will end!

To learn more energy-savings tips contact your Trusted Choice Independent Insurance Agent at Richey-Barrett Co.