From: phil-news-nospam@ipal.net
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.frugal-living misc.consumers.house misc.industry.utilities.electric misc.rural
Subject: Re: Power cost of idle electric water heater
Date: 1 Apr 2004 06:36:35 GMT

In misc.industry.utilities.electric Phil Sherrod  wrote:
| 
| On 31-Mar-2004, Jonathan Ball  wrote:
| 
|> Larger tanks have LESS increase in surface than the
|> increase in volume.
| 
| It is true that the volume increases faster than the surface area.  So what?
| 
| Once you have a tank large enough to supply your hot water needs, any increase
| in volume beyond that point will require an increase in surface area and more
| heat loss.  For maximum efficiency, you should use the largest single tank that
| will supply your hot water needs.

In terms of cutting energy costs, a larger volume has benefits.  And it is
practical to increase the volume.  For example, a full days supply.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Phil Howard KA9WGN       | http://linuxhomepage.com/      http://ham.org/ |
| (first name) at ipal.net | http://phil.ipal.org/   http://ka9wgn.ham.org/ |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------