In article ,
"PanHandler" wrote:

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
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Sorry, peak hours are *not* at night. I'd venture that 99% of the DOE's
supposed savings is due to a reduction in the price per kwh. Not only
that, they aren't talking about your *total* electric bill, only the
portion of it that the WH accounts for. So the logic behind your $8
savings is flawed.

This problem is a minor modification of the jacuzzi heating question,
and the same logic applies. Every speck of heat lost through the night
has to be replaced. Do it in small chunks, or do it all at once. Same
amount of energy is expended, disregarding the *very* minor difference
noted (that rate of heat loss decreases as temp. differential decreases.)

Please reply to my earlier post:
Compared to being on all the time, how could it not save me substantially if
it only runs thirty hours a month? It seems to defy logic.
Thank you.

Perhaps the confusion stems from some ambiguity in the word *on.* An
electric water heater is not *on* all the time anymore than a
refrigerator is *on* all the time, or a motion sensor light.

The refrigerator is triggered to come on when the temperature rises
above a certain threshold. The motion sensor light is triggered to turn
on when motion is detected.

And the water heater is triggered to come on when the water temp falls
below a certain threshold. The fact that it hasn't been "turned off"
doesn't mean that it's consuming electricity.

Let's say that between a shower and other needs, and heat leaking to the
surroundings, your tank loses 50 degrees in 24 hours. And let's say it
can make up that 50 degree loss in an hour.

It will use just as much electricity if it comes on for one hour every
day, making up the whole 50 degrees at once, or if it comes on for six
minutes, 10 times per day, increasing the water temp in the tank 5
degrees each time.