Second in a five-part series.

BY KEITH EDWARDS

Staff Writer

There are some relatively easy ways to help try to make sure the cost of heating your water doesn't get you into a different kind of "hot water" -- in debt with the bill collector.

Some of them don't even involve a trip to the basement.

Something as simple as not turning on the hot water faucet unless you really need -- and are prepared to wait for -- actual hot water, can save hot water and, in turn, the money it'd otherwise cost to heat that water.

"A lot of people, when they go to rinse out a glass, turn on the hot water and rinse it very quickly," said Richard Bacon, program manager for Efficiency Maine. "If you really think about it, the hot water isn't on long enough to even get warm. Then, you shut it back off because the glass is clean.

"So just remember to use cold water when you're rinsing out a glass, if you're not leaving the hot water on long enough to warm up anyway. You save energy that way, because you're not heating water you're not using."

Experts also recommend homeowners check the temperature of their water heaters, and make sure they aren't set above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough to do dishes and, in addition to saving money, has other benefits.

"Water heaters should be maintained at 120 degrees. Anything over that and you can be burned," said Richard Doe, service manager for Augusta Fuel, which sells and services a variety of hot-water heaters and boilers.

Doe said Augusta Fuel is getting more calls this year from customers wanting to know how they can make their systems more efficient.

The average New England homeowner, according to a federal Department of Energy study of 2001 U.S. Census data, spent $250 per year to heat water when their main heating fuel was electricity, and $273 per year to heat water when their main heating fuel was oil.

Homeowners with older water heaters can wrap the heaters, and pipes coming off of them, with insulation.

Bacon said wrapping water heaters slows down the loss of heat in the water in the tank.

Doe said newer, more efficient water heaters are wrapped in insulation inside their cases, so they don't need to be wrapped like older models.

Water heaters should also be cleaned once a year.

Bacon also recommends installing low-flow shower heads and other devices to limit the amount of water flow.

"You still get plenty of water to wash, but you don't waste water," he said.

Efficiency Maine is an effort to promote the more efficient use of electricity, help Maine residents and businesses reduce energy costs and improve Maine's environment. Efficiency Maine is funded by electricity consumers and administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

Central Maine Power, on its Web site, recommends removing sediment that builds up in the bottom of water heaters, by draining water until it appears clear. Getting rid of sediment helps make a water heater more efficient.

Electricity users who meet income guidelines may participate in CMP's "Bundle Up" program. Options include a do-it-yourself kit for $10 containing insulation wrap designed to fit 20- to 80-gallon electric water heaters, 12 feet of pipe insulation, an energy efficient shower head, kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators and step-by-step instructions. Or for $20, a CMP contractor can come to a home to install the items.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com