Is Energy demand for hot water not negligible ?
Hot water usually accounts for a substantial amount of your energy bill: A central heating boiler may run quite efficient if it heats a house in winter – but not so, if it heats water in summer only. (It heats a large amount of ‘dead’ water first before transfering useful heat.) The balance looks worse again for electric water heating. Because of the low efficiency of steam power stations, electric water heating is most wasteful and expensive. (And this includes water heating in washing machines and dishwashers.) Also, the energy demand for space heating can be dramatically reduced by good insulation and ‘passive’ solar building design (ask your architect about this). The demand for water heating can hardly be reduced – but solar energy can cover most of it!
