On Aug 24, 2:59*pm, wrote:
In part:
Quote:
Another questionable notion is the idea that the heat loss from a
water heater is less important because it goes to help heat the house
in winter. * I think in general, this is simply false. * First, much
of the heat loss in a gas heater is up the flue. *Second, the heat
that escapes the insulated surfaces of the tank, would go entirely
toward helping heat the house, IF the tank were in the living space.
Don't know about you, but I rarely see water heaters sitting in the
kitchen. * Usually, they are in the basement or garage. * Let's say
it's in an unfinished basement area, close to an outside wall as they
are usually installed. * I'd venture that the amount of the escaping
heat that makes any impact on the energy usage of the house is tiny
compared with the heat that is lost in the basement to the surrounding
walls, etc.

And even if the tank was in the living space, somehow the fact that
this heat is working against you when you have AC running never gets
mentioned.

End quote

I agree those are completely valid points. And anything that 'burns'
fuel, be it oil, gas, wood etc. loses heat 'up the chimney' or 'out
the vent'! That is a factor of 'it's efficiency.

1) The heat lost from the surface of the hot water unit MAY help to
heat the house, in winter. Our 40 gal electric is in the almost
completely below ground basement and away from outside walls. Foam
insulated it doesn't seem to lose much heat anyway.

2) In this climate we do not need or install AC. There are maybe? 3
days a year when it might be usable. But as trad says if it were
factor at all it could 'work against' the AC.

It's good though to see that these points are being mentioned and
evaluated, in context.

In a similar way that my neighbour has, almost blindly, replaced most/
all his light bulbs with CFLs. They do use less electricity. But since
he heats his house electrically, for here, at least 8 months of the
year, his average monthly electrcity bill has hardly, if at all,
changed. And one is not recommended to use CFLs in anything that is
switched on and off frequently. So that includes his motion sensor
lights.