Turn your water heater dial to 120° to keep your energy bills low and your family safe.
Why You Should Do It
Water heaters are built to function most efficiently when they are set to 120° - any higher and not only are you at risk for higher utility bills, but also accidental scalding. At 120° it takes 5 minutes for someone to get a 2nd or 3rd degree burn, but if your water heater is turned up just 10 degrees more to 130°, it can take seconds to get a 2nd or 3rd degree burn. Stay safe and turn it down!
What It Costs
Free!
How to Do It
- Select “Add to My Challenge” and pledge to turn your water heater down to 120 degrees.
- Find your water heater. We recommend starting in the basement.
- Turn your water heater setting to 120°, which may be represented by a triangle symbol or a has mark followed by letters (A, B, C).
- Make sure that you're getting sufficient hot water in your fixtures. If it's not getting hot enough at 120°, insulate the firs three feet of hot water supply pipe leaving your water heater with self-sealing pipe wrap, which you can find for under $5 at your local hardware store.
- Congratulate yourself for keeping your family safe, saving energy and money, and making a difference for Minnesota!