[cappuccino]

So now we are officially in winter there are a lot of tv/newspaper adverts for saving energy around the house.

Those of us in rental accommodation will find it harder as many things are down to the landlord ie insulation/heat pumps etc.

I was wondering if putting an insulation jacket around the hot water tank should be the landlord's responsibility or the tenant? If it's the tenant's, do you have any idea on cost and is it a simple diy job?

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

I was quoted about $100 to have one supplied and fitted.

I imagine you can but them from Mitre10/Bunnings etc and as long as your cylinder is reasonably easy to get your arms around shouldn't be too difficult a job.

Having said that, I would have though a landord should do it in a rental - or maybe a compromise, he reimburses the cost for the jacket if you purchase and fit it?

[victoria]

Can I jump in on this one please? If the hot water cylinder is metallic it means the inner water tank is encased & already insulated. In fact, the cylinders here are insulated to a higher degree than in England. So that's one expense you can leave out.

[barryp]

Yes!

You can save quite a bit on your heating costs by simply turning the heat level down. (Obviously there is a limit to how much, but the consensus is that most people have their tank temps set too high.) You can save a little more by insulating the heated water output pipe - which functions as a really inefficient space heater if not insulated. That foamlike outer insulation can be found at any DIY store, requires no tools except something to cut it with, and costs less than $20.

[BigRod]

Cappuccino,

Depending on what type (age) of Wellington property you have then there is plenty you can do yourself. If its a weatherboard wooden framed single glazed property you are renting then I recommend you call into Negawatt Resources on Hutt Road by Petone (http://www.nrl.co.nz/) where you can get:

Transparent double glazing film (temporary fixing)
Draughtstopper film for doors and windows
Heating tank insulation (remove it at the end of tenancy and take with you)


Also the Warehouse (Queensgate Westfield Lower Hutt) have door snakes (draught stoppers) in for less than $10 a shot. At the end of the day adjusting your water temperature makes a huge change to your power bill. I played with the settings on ours over several months and checked the bills on subsequent months. We now have the tank set at 55 degrees C and seems the best compromise with a significantly reduced bill.

And if your rental has a wetback - use it! Plenty of sources for free / cheap wood around the area, and this drastically drops the water heating costs whilst also providing some cheap heat.

HTH

Rod

[cappuccino]

Thanks guys for the tip on turning down the temperature but here is a really dumb question - how do I do that?

The tank itself (has a label showing its older than me - 1961!!!) and I can see pipes coming out at the top and leading in at the side (oh and a switch so I guess I can turn it off when I don't need it) but as its wedged into a storage cupboard, I would need to dismantle all the shelves/cupboards surrounding it to get better access.

BigRod, thanks for the other tips - will try some of them. Unfortunately the ONLY source of heating I have is an oil filled heater that I purchased recently that trips the electrics when switched on same time as other large appliances (see my earlier thread!). I will NOT be in this house next winter, that's for sure!

[BigRod]

Hi Cappuccino,

The blown fuse problem seems a bit fishy to me; especially as you have fusewire rather than MCB's. A 2 kW electric heater should be drawing less than 9 Amps, an he outlets are capable of 10 Amps. I dopn't supposed you have anything else high powered on that circuit do you? (like the water heater). If you don't then are you sure you are replacing the fusewire with the correct rating? (check what is written on the ceramic holder for curent rating, and check correct wire fitted).

I would not be surprised if the old fusewire had blown when you first put the load on as fusewire 'ages' and becomes weaker. I am surprised that new (correctly rated) fusewire gave the same problem - unless there is a fault with the heater. If you exhaust the above then send me a PM and I'll do an electrical safety test of the heater for you just to make sure.

.... anyway back to the water heater. Somewhere there *should* be a knob for altering the water temperature. Look somewhere around where the mains flex enters the case. Failing that take a piccie!

Rod