Should you put a timer on your water heater?

Author: Gene Prohaska  |  Last update: Friday, June 19, 2026

A water heater timer can save you money on both your electricity and water bills. However, homeowners with hot water tanks located outside of their homes, report seeing the most significant margin of savings. The reason being that the cold temperatures outside make your water heater work overtime to stay warm.

Is it worth putting a timer on a water heater?

Timers are most cost effective if you don't want to install a heat trap and insulate your water heater tank and pipes. Timers aren't as cost effective or useful on gas water heaters because of their pilot lights.

Is it better to keep hot water on continuous or timed?

To be honest, the answer really depends on how well insulated the tank is. If you've got really good insulation, timed should be fine as most decent tanks have enough insulation to last for several hours, but if yours doesn't have that, you'll probably find the hot water runs out of heat pretty fast.

Should I put my water heater on a schedule?

Is It Best to Keep Hot Water on All the Time? No, there is no reason to continually heat water when no one is going to use it. Water heating timers allow homeowners to control when hot water is available, depending on their daily schedules and their requirements for hot water.

Are water timers worth it?

Installing a water timer is one of the simplest ways to streamline your lawn care. A water timer will save you money, make your home more green, and give you back hours that you would have spent watering.

Ask the Energy Advisor: Should I put a timer on my water heater?

Is it cheaper to heat water all day or on a timer?

A water heater timer can save you money on both your electricity and water bills.

Do water timers reduce water pressure?

Some hose timers reduce water pressure due to small solenoid valve openings and other restrictions that are smaller than the diameter of the faucet or the hose.

Is it cheaper to keep a water heater on all the time?

As you can see, it makes little sense to leave your water heater on all the time. Why pay for the energy required to warm the water while you are asleep, or while the family is out at work and school? Instead, use your timer so that you always have access to plenty of hot water when you need it most.

What time should I set my hot water timer?

Try an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening; if you don't run out of hot water, then that's enough – no need to spend more money than you have to!

What is the best setting to have your water heater on?

If you have younger children in the house, you are always better to have your water heater set to 120 degrees to prevent scalding. If there are no kids in the home or your children are older, we would usually recommend turning the unit up to 130 or 140 degrees.

Do I need a hot water timer?

Is a water heater timer right for you? If you've got a storage water heater, then you should look into getting a timer. It's that simple. The cost savings, energy efficiency, and positive environmental impact will help make your home, your wallet, and even the world more comfortable.

Why do I only get 30 minutes of hot water?

There are a variety of factors which could lead to running out of hot water too quickly. If your hot water runs out too fast, you may have an issue with: Too much hot water demand from multiple sources at the same time. Sediment build up inside of your water heater tank.

What is the best schedule for hot water?

Only heat the hot water twice a day

Try heating the water for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

Do I leave my water heater on all the time?

It's better to leave the hot water heater on all the time, rather than turning it on and off. This is a very common energy saving myth. But in fact, you really don't need to be heating your water all the time. Your immersion heater or boiler will heat up hot water which is stored in a tank.

Should I have my heating on a timer?

Use heating timers or programmers

For example, you may want to set the timer so that the heating switches on 20 or 30 minutes before you are due to arrive home. Not only is this convenient, but it ensures that you only use heating when you need it the most.

Is it worth turning off the water heater at night?

Generally speaking, a gas water heater should not be turned off unless you are leaving the house for an extended period of time. Even then the better choice for gas water heaters is to just turn the temperature down. In fact, many water heaters have a “vacation” setting on the temperature control.

What is the best temperature setting for a hot water heater?

120 degrees Fahrenheit is the safety recommendation against scalding, but 140° is the common default setting. Most experts agree that anything below 120 degrees creates a risk for bacteria to develop inside your water heater from stagnant water, such as legionella that causes Legionnaire's disease.

What is the purpose of the timer on a water heater?

A water heater timer can save you money on your electric and water expenses. If your water heater is located outside your home, a timer can save you a significant amount of money on your utility bills because the colder outdoor temperatures will cause your water heater to work harder to heat up the water.

Should hot water be on continuously?

Although it takes longer and requires more fuel to heat cold water, the energy required to maintain this constant temperature is much more expensive than the few times it is heated when necessary on occasion, due to its non-use, this water is also wasted, as a result, running a boiler continuously consumes more fuel ...

Does turning the water heater on and off cost more?

Turning your water heater off completely when it's not in use can help you save a small amount of money each month on your energy bills, but the hassle of manually turning your unit off and on typically outweighs the benefits.

Does turning up the water heater make it last longer?

Savings resulting from turning down your water heater temperature are based on reducing standby losses (heat lost from water heater into surrounding area). Set too high, or at 140ºF, your water heater can waste anywhere from $36 to $61 annually in standby heat losses.

Does a water heater use a lot of electricity?

More kilowatts mean more electricity, and bigger water heaters will typically use more watts. The average water heater runs at around 1125 watts, though some more powerful water heaters can use up to 4000 watts.

Does high water pressure increase water bill?

If your pressure is too high, you could also see an increase in your water bills. If you're trying to save money on utilities, high water pressure could be costing you.

What does a water timer do?

The timer allows you to program your irrigation system for multiple tasks, such as water duration and start times per day, and you can program the days of the week for your watering times. The Smart controllers can be used with rain and moisture sensors to adjust your watering schedule.

What is the best water pressure setting?

It's important to maintain your home's water pressure within an acceptable range. The ideal water pressure ranges between 40 and 80 pounds per square inch, with the recommended home water pressure at 60 psi.

Previous article
Do you stir or shake paint?
Next article
Can a dirty filter cause a furnace to overheat?