Lower The Thermostat on Your Water Heater

Many homeowners are intimidated by the the large equipment sitting in their basement. They believe that it is a professionals job to work with the equipment and that they themselves should stay away. However, garnering some bravery could help save money immediately. Find your water heater, wherever it may be located, and locate the thermostat. My water heater has the thermostat near the bottom of the cylinder in the foreground.

• Set your thermostat to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Many water heaters are installed and set up to prepare water for 140 degree delivery. This is overly and unnecessarily hot.  Every 10 degrees that the water heater is dropped, expect to see a near 5% decrease in energy bills. 
• Experiment to find the right temperature. Some people may enjoy their showers on the cooler side and may benefit by putting it even lower.
• If you've ever been in a jacuzzi/hot-tub, it can be easier to gauge the temperature to set the water heater to. Jacuzzis are often optimally set to 102-107 degrees Fahrenheit.