Why is hot water such a big energy consumer? It's simple: every day we use hot water for showering, bathing, washing our hands, cooking or for the dishwasher and washing machine. A lot of energy is used to heat the water, which is cost-intensive and usually obtained from fossil fuels such as natural gas or heating oil. This also generates large amounts of CO2 emissions, which contribute to man-made climate change.
On average, water heating accounts for between twelve and 15 per cent of total energy consumption. According to the Federal Environment Agency, water heating in German households produces around 20 million tons of CO2 every year. That's quite a lot when you consider that we're only dealing with water here!
And it's not just the environment that is affected, but also your own household budget: if you waste (hot) water, you are not only wasting energy, but also money. With a few simple steps and small water savers for the household, you can save almost 85 kilograms of CO2 and around 130 euros in water and energy costs every year.