Home > Blog > Commercial > Summer is the perfect time for schools to upgrade water heaters
Summer vacation is well underway, which means it’s the perfect time for school systems, both private and public, to think about renovating certain parts of their infrastructure. To avoid cutting classes or after-school activities, these educational facilities must find other ways to cut costs.
If your facility manager spends more time fixing the water heater in the basement than he does anywhere else, it may be a sign that it’s time to upgrade.
Efficiency is key
Part of the reason why there are running deficits all over the country in school systems is because of mismanagement of energy consumption. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, school buildings actually rank third when it comes to commercial energy use. Schools that cover grades K-12 end up spending $8 billion a year total on energy – more than they do on computers and textbooks put together, the source reported.
It’s clear to see that utilities are of the utmost importance, yet every budget could use a trimming down. Most of the issue stems from mismanaged energy use. A National Grid report highlighted that even though energy accounts for just 2.2 percent of total expenditures, it remains one of the only areas a school can trim without creating an impact on students in the classroom.
Efficiency will be a key asset moving forward for these school systems, as facility managers must curb consumption without totally removing certain features. Can you imagine a school without air conditioning or lights?
In trimming a utility budget, classrooms remain unaffected.
Reduce energy consumption
Tank water heaters tend to be the mischief-makers when it comes to appliances that over-consume energy. They heat water in standby form, rather than on-demand. What this does is promote standby heat loss, which is the cooling of warmed water over time as it sits unused. All this does is waste the energy that was used to warm the water in the first place.
Tankless water heaters warm the water as it passes through the system. This provides an on-demand response and efficiently manages the use of energy by doing so. Essentially, facility managers can take away the variable of having valuable energy wasting away and ensure whatever is used benefits the school.
Of the total 2.2 percent energy being used, water heating is one of three components – lighting and space heating are the other two – that accounts for between 74 and 86 percent of that consumption, according to the National Grid report. By installing tankless water heaters, schools can reduce one of the “big three” without having an effect on daily routines.
“Tankless water heaters are NAECA compliant.”
Cursory benefits abound
A number of benefits can arise from having an energy efficient tankless water heater besides the initial savings on utility bills. Facility managers are able to effectively reduce space where the old water heater used to be, and avoid any infractions for not following latest addendum to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act that was passed in 2015.
Schools can cut down the amount of money being spent on water heater repairs as well. Tankless water heaters tend to last 20 to 25 years, while their storage counterparts often barely make it to 15. There’s less of a chance of the system breaking down or having issues, which can save a school from spending money on piping repairs too.
If the infrastructure in the school is on the older side, tankless water heaters can be placed at the point-of-use to boost water supply and reduce strain on the system. This will ultimately curb wasteful spending, and can allow a building to keep its older, legacy system in place while still remaining operable.
Take advantage of the summer time by installing a new tankless water heater and begin reaping the savings.
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In trimming a utility budget, classrooms remain unaffected.
