It's one of modern life's most underrated pleasures: a nice, warm shower. And all we have to do is turn a knob. Nobody has to haul sloshing buckets of water up the hill Jack-and-Jill-style. No one has to heat up the gallons of H2O in a whistling teakettle to draw our bath. No Robison Crusoe affair has to be cobbled together out of bamboo and coconuts. You just crank the handle and streams of piping hot water rain down. Very civilized.

And it's all thanks to a 20th-century contraption known to us as the hot water heater. Plus, something called indoor plumbing. But your hot water heater may be working overtime, and this can adversely impact your energy bill. The average life of a hot water heater is 10-15 years. After that point, an old hot water heater starts to work against you. Take a moment and check the date on yours. If it is older than this, it may be time to replace it.

Here are some ideas on what to look for in a new, energy-efficient water heater:

Going Solar

A solar water heater could cut your energy bill 50-60%. Just one problem. It's likely your priciest option. That being said, people who have solar heating systems rave about them. Why? They don't run on gas, propane, oil or electricity. They run on sunshine. And in these days of global warming, that is one energy source we're going to have plenty of. Solar water heaters can be used in any sort of climate and can be installed easily in most homes. The complete solar water heater system consists of one or two storage tanks and a solar collector. Another benefit is the federal government is offering more and more tax credits for all things solar. So the price will adjust downward.

Going Tankless

Another energy-efficient solution is the tankless or 'instantaneous' hot water heater. This space-spacing device has no storage tank, which means more room in the kitchen pantry for the paper towels. The tankless design reduces the amount of standby energy loss that you get with your standard storage-style heaters, so from the git-go you are saving money. Typically, tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of two-five gallons a minute. This means you can run the dishwasher while taking a shower without the hot water turning cold on your backside. For households that use 40 gallons or less each day, tankless water heaters can save you significantly on your total energy bill. They are reported to be anywhere from 24% to 34% more energy-efficient than your conventional tank water heater.

Going Old School

Okay, if purchase cost is your driving factor or if you just like having that big rocket ship-looking tank next to the Cheerios,TM then the standard tank hot water heater is the way to go.

You can make it more energy-efficient than the clunker you are replacing. First of all, look for that big yellow Energy Guide tag. The most important thing to check out is the Energy Factor (EF). This rates how much of the fuel's energy actually makes it out of the showerhead. The most efficient models will have an EF of around .63 or higher. An electric hot water heater should have an EF of .96.

Wrap it up. I'll take it.

Another smart way to save energy is to wrap your hot water tank. It will only take a second to throw a fiberglass blanket around your new or old hot water heater. But don't stop there. Wrap the hot water pipe with some of that foam sheath stuff to further reduce heat loss. Heck, while you're at it, wrap the cold water inlet pipe to the tank. This step alone will save you plenty on your energy bills.

And after you have replaced and insulated your new hot water heater, celebrate in the best way we know how. Take a nice, hot shower. Sweet!