Energy usage is a hot topic these days, and Affordable Service Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Electric understand the need to know where your hard-earned money goes. Depending on the type of water heater you have, it depends on the amount of energy or energy and gas it uses daily. Our technicians can break it down: 

The Electric Water Heater:

This is also known as the tankless water heater. Tankless water heaters deliver hot water without using a storage tank, therefore delivering hot water as a supply and demand method. Typical households use more than 85 gallons of water a day, so you can calculate how much energy usage your electric water heater is using. First, you can estimate the cost by multiplying the number of watts your tankless water heater uses by the price you are paying per kWh. PNM charges $0.0779432/kWh for the first 450 kWh per month, and then the price increases after that. You can find that information here.  Then you multiply that number by the number of hours your water heater uses a day and divide that number by 1000.

Tankless Water Heater: operates around 4000 watts

PNM Charges:$0.0779432/kWh

Time: on average, around 5 hours a day

Divide by 1000

Ex: 4000x$0.0779432/kWh=$311.77×5= $1,558.86/1000= $1.59 of energy use a day. 

$1.59×30= $46.76 energy operating costs per month.

$561.19 to operate your tankless water heater a year. 

 

The Gas Water Heater:

Similar to your electric water heater, your gas heater should be calculated by taking the therms it uses per hour, by the price you pay per therms. For example, PNM charges .0779432/kWh, and your heater consumes around .205 therms per hour, at five hours a day.

Gas Water Heater: average household uses .205 therms per hour

NM Gas Company: $0.7660 per therm

Time: 5 hours a day

Ex: .205thermsx5=1.025×0.7660= $.786 per day

$0.786×30=$23.58 energy operating costs per month.

$282.96 to operate your gas water heater for a year. 

There you have it! To calculate your specific water heater, you can use this site. For those who wish to get away from the use of natural gases, the tankless water heater is the way to go. The operating cost is double what you would use with the traditional gas heater, but many of our customers are making the switch. If you are looking to switch your traditional water heater out for a tankless water heater, one of our technicians can come out and give you a free estimate, and we can answer all of your questions.