Sorry if I maybe using incorrect words, English is not my first language. I’m in France and there’s a big electric water boiler which provides all the hot water in our apartment. I have 2 questions regarding the energy consumption:
1. I suppose it consumes electricity initially to heat the water inside, but does it keep consuming to keep them warm?
2. Between 10pm – 6am, the electricity cost is lower in our plan. Does that mean it costs us less if we use the hot water(shower/dishes) between these times?
Cheers!
In: 1
1. Yes, some heat leaks out though the insulation. It is quite little however, typical is around 400 kWh per year for a modern boiler. This heat also contributes to heating you house, so it is not entierly lost depending on climate and season.
2. It costs less if water is heated during this time. If the heater tank is large enought to last all day, you could potentially save a little bit of money by installing a timer and only let it heat between, for example, midnight and six o clock. You could turn up the water temperature if you frequently run of of hot water, although this will also increase the heat leakage a little bit.
A word of caution however, of you install a plug-in timer between the outlet and the boiler plug, make sure it is rated for the max power of the boiler and the make sure to touch it when the boiler is running to make sure the timer does not heat up. These cheap timers are often low quality and not made for high power during long periods, and have been known to overheat and cause fires. A better way would be to let an electrician install a timer, although that cost would likely offset your savings for many years ahead.
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