Comfort Line - Questions and Answers

Do you have enough hot water when you take your morning shower? In this issue, we answer questions regarding hot water.

How much hot water do I need for my family?

Statistics show that the average family of four uses approximately 2,000 gallons of hot water per month, or 24,000 gallons per year. Of course, this number will vary if your family is larger or smaller.

What are my options when it comes to making hot water?

Most homeowners make their hot water using electric, natural gas/propane or oil fired water heaters. As a variant of these options, many homeowners who have an oil fired boiler make their hot water with a coil inside their boiler or with an indirect water heater attached to their boiler.

Which fuel makes more hot water?

The ability of various fuels to make hot water is rated based on recovery rate. Recovery rate tells us how much hot water can be made in one hour. For example, if a hot water heater can raise the temperature of 10 gallons of water from 50° F to 140° F in one hour, the recovery rate is 10 gallons per hour. Because of higher flame temperatures, oil fired hot water making systems have the highest recovery rate of any fuel. The average recovery rates of the various fuels are as follows:

• Electric - 20 gallons per hour
• Natural gas or propane - 40 gallons per hour
• Oil - 120 gallons per hour

How much does it cost to make hot water?

The approximate monthly cost to make hot water for the average family is as follows:

• Oil - $15.00 per month
• Natural Gas - $23.00 per month
• Propane - $30.00 per month
• Electric - $45.00 per month

How can I get more hot water?

There are two things that control the available supply of hot water: the recovery rate and the size of the storage tank. For example, a 30gallon tank with a 120-gallon recovery rate provides 150 gallons of available hot water per hour. An 80-gallon tank with a 20-gallon recovery rate provides 100 gallons of available hot water per hour To increase the available supply of hot water you must either increase the recovery rate or the size of the storage tank. If you are making your hot water with a coil inside your boiler, you can dramatically increase the amount of available hot water by adding a storage tank.

Which hot water making system is better for the environment?

According to studies conducted by Pace University, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Greenpeace and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the environmental cost of various heating sources is as follows:

• Oil heat and oil fired hot water - $2.01 per million BTUs (including transportion cost)
• Natural gas/propane heat and hot water - $2.04 per million BTUs
• Electric resistance heat and electric hot water heaters - $12.40 per million BTU

The reason why electric resistance heat and hot water heaters are so costly to the environment is because of the pollution created at the electric generating plant.