Those nice steamy baths in the dead of winter are amazing. Perfect for relaxing, unwinding or soaking sore muscles. But what happens when those hot summer months roll around? That steamy bath doesn’t sound so amazing, does it? So there is no need to have the water heater cranked so high in the summer. Or possibly, all year long. Some manufacturers set water heater thermostats at 140 F, but most households usually only require them to be set at 120 F.
A quick peek at your water heater thermostat and you could be on your way to saving a few dollars a month! And as a bonus, reducing your water heater temp also slows mineral buildup and corrosion in your water heater and pipes. Sounds like a win/win to me!
What temperature do you have your water heater set at?
~Mavis
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.
Heather says
When the water heater dies, invest in a tankless on demand system. The system easily carries two or three tasks at one time. I set my washer and dishwasher for early morning hours at the same time, so the system starts once for both tasks.
Em says
I’m going to look into one of these when my system dies, for sure.
Libby says
I keep ours at 115 in case a kiddo pulls the hot water faucet and scalds themselves. It’s happened before! Apparently at that temp it hurts but won’t burn their skin. I never knew we were saving $$$! Yay
Dawny says
We only turn on our hot water heater when we are going to use it, 20 mins before showers and everyone gets them the same evening. Then it is off again. I heat up water in the micro for the dishes – works out fine. We save about $30 a month now. It all adds up.
Amy says
We keep our water heater turned down as well but you just have to make sure it is not down too low or else you can accidently get Legionaire’s disease from bacterial growth. Wikipedia (who are never wrong, LOL) recommends that your water temp is above 122 degrees Farenheit or 50 deg Celsius to prevent it.
Gardenpat says
We have a tankless hot water heater too and the energy savings has been phenomenal!!!