Did you know that water heaters are the second highest energy hog in a typical home? According to the Water Softeners Save Energy report, water heaters represent about 13 per cent of household energy use. This is second only to heating and cooling which represent 49 per cent of household energy use.

What does this have to do with buying a water softener? The report assessed the carbon footprint of homes using hard water against homes with water softeners. The research revealed that homes equipped with water softeners could expect their gas household water heaters to maintain their original factory efficiency ratings over a lifetime period of 15 years. In contrast, the research found that homes with hard water lost as much as 24 per cent of operating efficiency in their gas hot water heaters.

The results for water softeners used with tankless water heaters were similar in that the tankless heaters maintained efficiency over a 15 year lifetime when used with water softeners. More dramatically, tankless water heaters used with hard water failed after just 19 days of testing. According to the report, these 19 days of testing represent about 1.6 years of hot water use.

Water softeners in general can reduce energy dramatically. Soft water also saves money by using up to 75 per cent less soap and detergent. It can extend the life of appliances and improve efficiency by preventing scale buildup. When buying a water softener, Canadians can enjoy the benefits of lower utility bills and softer water. For those who want further energy consumption reductions, consider an AquaMaster water softener.

Where conventional water softeners can take up to two hours to regenerate, AquaMaster water softeners take about 20 minutes. AquaMaster water softeners use far less water during regeneration as well. For example, a conventional water softener can use over 85 gallons while the AquaMaster AMS900 averages less than 15 gallons per regeneration.

All of these savings add up to lower energy bills and real value.