Maybe you’ve experienced the cold sweats and heart palpitations that come with committing the most mortal or Irish sins… forgetting to turn the immersion off!
If not, count yourself lucky, but as it takes so much energy to heat our domestic hot water, (24% of average Irish household’s energy use), reducing our hot water use as much as possible will see huge payoffs for our wallets, our energy security and for the environment too.
✅ So why not try the following – “shower smart” by avoiding power showers (as they use 125 litres of water in 5 minutes); install a low-flow shower head that uses no more than 9 litres per minute; time your shower to a max of 5 minutes; and always take a shower rather than a bath (as it uses ⅕ the energy).
✅ Also set the temperature on your boiler or immersion to no more than 65°C; fix dripping hot taps & install aerators; insulate pipes in unheated areas with foam tubing; fit a lagging jacket around your hot water cylinder; and if you have a day/night or smart meter, aim to heat your cylinder at cheaper off-peak times.
So let’s stop money going down the drain!