Should I Insulate My Water Heater?

Posted: November 18, 2024

Newer Water Heaters Are Already Energy-Efficient

You can’t enjoy home comfort without a dependable supply of hot water. Families in the Delaware Valley depend on it for showering and bathing, cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and more. But it’s easy to take your water heater for granted. It’s only when it stops doing its job—producing hot water for your household—that most people start thinking about it.

But that’s not always the case. The cost of heating water for your household each month can be a concern for homeowners who are struggling financially. This group may be tempted to follow the popular energy-efficiency tip of insulating their water heater tank to save money. But in many cases, this is not recommended, or even necessary.

According to the U.S Department of Energy, you don’t need to insulate your water storage tank if the model has been manufactured since 2004 and has a thermal resistance rating of R-24. If you don’t know your water heater’s R-value or when it was made, just touch the tank. If it doesn’t feel warm, additional insulation is not needed.

Usually because of their inefficient nature, electric water heaters get most of the attention when it comes to the topic of covering a storage tank with an insulation blanket. Gas and oil-fired water heaters are more difficult to insulate than electric water heaters. But again, this is generally unnecessary, unless you have a very old water heater, which you should replace anyway. The life span of the most common water heater—units with a storage tank—can vary greatly, anywhere from 7 to 13 years. If your water heater is older than that, rest assured you’ve certainly gotten your money’s worth out of it. It’s time to invest in a replacement system.

No matter what water heater type you have, if you’re considering insulating your tank, we strongly recommend that you leave that work to a qualified plumbing or heating contractor. Over the years, our technicians have seen a variety of mistakes people have made when they have tried to do insulation work on their own.

If you prefer not to worry about wasting money any longer with an inefficient water heater, there are multiple options for modernizing your home’s water heating system.

Water Heater Installation in Newtown Square, PA

If you’re ready to replace your home’s water heater, please reach out to us. Wilson Oil and Propane installs all types of water heaters—oil, propane, natural gas, and electric–so not only does our service team have experience, but we know how to manage any situation that might arise in a typical installation job. The types of water heaters we install, as well as service, include:

• Direct-fired Water Heaters. This is the most common type of water heater, with a dedicated burner inside to heat water stored in a tank. As you use the water in the tank, the supply of hot water gets replenished. However, it takes added energy to keep all that water in your tank at a proper temperature.
• Indirect-fired Water Heaters. These units use the burner inside your boiler to heat your tap water. (The boiler water never mixes with the contents of your water heater). Because it uses less energy to generate hot water, an indirect-fired water heater is a more efficient choice than a direct-fired model.
• Tankless Water Heaters. This is the most efficient way to heat the water in your home. A tankless water heater takes up less space in the home and provides a virtually endless supply of hot water on demand. Tankless water heaters also have a longer life span than other types of water heaters.

Wilson Oil and Propane is the HVAC company that people can trust for maintenance, repair or replacement of water heating systems, as well as furnaces, boilers and central air conditioners. We have professional technicians who can manage anything from annual maintenance to emergency heating and cooling system repairs to top-notch equipment replacement.

Why not become a Wilson Oil and Propane customer today?

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