Jim Connors: Hi! I'm Jim Connors with Rheem Manufacturing Company. I'm showing you how to make an existing water heater more energy-efficient. Now, I'm going to show you how to adjust the thermostat on your water heater to save energy.

One of the easiest ways to lower the water heater energy usage is to turn down the thermostat on the water heater. Most manufacturers recommend the setting of about a 120 degrees. A comfortable shower for most people is between is a 110 and a 118 degrees.

The thermostat of a gas water heater is located on the front at the bottom. There should be a large dial on the front with hot/warm Vacation or Pilot settings. Set the water heater on warm. If you determine that is not warm enough, increase the setting in small increments until reaching a desired setting. Before adjusting the temperature of an electric water heater, shut off the power. Most electric water heaters have two auto-heating elements and two thermostats.

The thermostats are located under the panels on the front. Use a screwdriver to remove the panels. In most cases, you will need a screwdriver to adjust the temperature on the thermostats to the desired setting.

Those are some tips on saving energy by using the water heater's thermostat. Next, I'll talk about how to drain your water heater for more energy savings.