Water Softeners
Save Energy
Water Quality Association
“Household Water Heating
Efficiency Improvements from
Softened Water” by Battelle
Memorial Institute.
To retrieve a copy of
the complete report,
please go to this link:
www.wqa.org/
BattelleReport
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US Household Energy Usage
Source: www.energystar.gov
Water heaters: Second
highest energy
consuming area of a
home.
Battelle Research Results
Gas Storage Tank Water Heaters
• With softened water:
o Gas storage tank household water heaters
operated on softened water maintained the original
factory efficiency rating over a 15 year lifetime.
• With hard water:
o Hard water can lead to as much as a 24% loss of
operating efficiency in gas storage water heaters.
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Battelle Research Results
Tankless Water Heaters
• With softened water
o Indoor instantaneous gas water heaters (tankless heaters)
operated on softened water maintained the original
factory efficiency rating over a 15 year lifetime.
• With hard water (26 gpg)
o Tankless water heaters operating on hard water failed
after 19 days of testing.
o The equivalent of only 1.6 years of hot water use.
Softened water saves between 40% of costs (versus 20
gpg) and 57% of costs (versus 30 gpg).
•
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Battelle Research Results
Carbon Footprint
• 15% increase for gas storage tank
water heaters operated on 26 gpg
hard water for 15 years versus
softened water
• 4% increase for tankless water
heaters operated on 26 gpg hard
water over 15 years
Battelle Study Messages
• Even the newest and most efficient water heaters
become more efficient with softened water
o Prevents a 10% drop in energy efficiency that happens
within just 2 years
o Eliminates the need for regular scale removal which
translate into a 14-57% reduction in operating costs
over the first two years of ownership
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Is 10% Big?
YES!
The most energy efficient water heater on the market
today
…a tank-less water heater….
is 10% more efficient with softened water
…..and it also reduces the operating cost by up to 57%
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Dishwashing Study Results
 Lowering the water hardness to zero
grains per gallon by water softening
will allow for a reduction in the amount of
detergent to 30 grams - 38% of full
dosage and still achieve equal or better
cleaning compared to what occurs in
hard water with 80 grams - 100% of full
detergent dosage
The Energy Savings Story
In Summary
1. Water heaters are the 2nd biggest users of residential energy
2. Consumers are switching to energy efficient appliances to cut energy
costs
3. Most manufacturers of water based appliances recommend that
consumers use soft water
4. The independent 2009 WQRF and Battelle Softened Water Benefits
Study showed that:
1. Water heaters using softened water are 10% more efficient after
less than two years.
2. Operating costs of a tank-less water heater using soft water are
reduced by 14 to 57% after 2 years depending on water hardness.
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