Install a plug timer on hot water dispensing units
Many companies have urns and instant water boilers in their kitchens. Although they give you instant hot water, they cost a lot more than they need to if you leave them on at night and over weekends.
Buying a $8 – $20 electrical plug timer can reduce this cost. You can program it to:
- switch it off at the end of each working day
- turn it off on weekends
- turn it on just before people arrive at work.
Steplight, NSW
Steplight[1] used a $25 plug-in power meter to measure the energy use of their combined water cooler/heater dispenser.
After recording its energy use over a 24-hour period, the meter showed it would cost about $245 a year to run the dispenser unit. However, by using a $20 plug-in appliance timer, this figure could be reduced to approximately $166 a year – a reduction of $79 per annum.
If your premises have a hot water dispenser in the kitchen or staff areas, make sure you utilise a plug-in appliance timer. The payback period is extremely short.[2]
- 1. Steplight is an organisation that assists communities in reducing their resource usage and environmental impact.
- 2. EnergyCut.info/steplight-water