CarbonCurb Action 1 - Lower Water Heater Temperature
Heating water likely accounts for around 15% of your home energy usage. Most water heaters are factory set to 140 ºF (60ºC), but the U.S. Department of Energy recommends lowering your water heater temperature to 120 ºF. This is the optimal temperature which reduces the risk of scalding and slows corrosion and mineral buildup, while staving off harmful bacteria. There are plenty of online resources explaining how to safely adjust water heaters. Action 1 is surprisingly simple and rewarding. With a literal flip of the wrist you can prevent more than 85 kg (0.085 metric tons or over 180 lbs) of CO2 from entering our atmosphere, annually. To put this into perspective, this amount of CO2 occupies almost 50 cubic meters, enough to fill an entire bedroom. Next time you are lying in bed, imagine being submerged in all of that CO2 you saved just by adjusting your water heater. The impact of completing Action 1 is:
Annual Savings:
85 kg CO2e
0.5% of your GHGs
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