The Aquanta smart water-heater controller promises to slash your energy bill

A truly smart home should not only make your life easier, it should also save you money. And while theres no shortage of smart thermostats, lighting controls, door locks, and even smart irrigation systems, few solutions focus on the activity that consumes the second-highest amount of energy in the home: heating water.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that heating water accounts for 17.7 percent of a typical homes energy consumption (space heating consumes 41.5 percent). Thats because a traditional electric, gas, or propane water heater keeps 30, 40, or more gallons of water hot in a tank all the time. Every time the water heaters thermostat detects a drop in the water temperature below a preset threshold, it fires up its heating element and reheats the water, even though on most days you need hot water only in the mornings and evenings.

One of the best ways to reduce the energy your home uses to heat water is to install an on-demand heater that fires up only when you need hot water. I have one in my house and its fabulous. But these so-called tankless water heaters can be very expensive, especially if you need to hire a pro to install one in place of a conventional water heater (theres both plumbing and electrical work to be done).

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating water consumes the second-highest amount of energy in the typical home.

Sunnovations, a company with a background designing and manufacturing solar water-heater monitors, has a better idea: The Aquanta Smart Water Heater Controller. Cool technology for hot water, as the company describes it. We aim to bring this dumb appliance into the connected-home ecosystem, Sunnovations CEO Matt Carlson told me in an interview several weeks ago. The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its new product to market.

The Aquanta is a box that sits on top of your water heater and is connected to a probe (an enthalpy sensor, to be technical) that dangles inside the tank. The sensor feeds through a fitting that attaches to your water heaters T&P (temperature and pressure) relief valve and measures both the energy going into your tank and the energy consumed as you use hot water. The box connects through your Wi-Fi router to the cloud, which you link to with an app on your smartphone (it could also be integrated into your existing smart-home network).

By heating water only when you need it, it shouldn't take long for you to recoup your investment in an Aquanta water-heater controller.

Having a very finely grained view of your households hot-water usage patterns enables you to cycle the heating element, Carlson said. The Aquanta can learn your hot-water usage patterns, much like the Nest Learning Thermostat monitors your heating and air-conditioning use, and can suggest a water-heating schedule. You can also establish your own schedule for turning the water heater on when its needed and off when you dont expect to be home. Finally, you can turn the heater on and off manually, using the smartphone app. The box can send you text messages when it determines you havent used hot water for a while.

In addition to its energy-savings features, the Aquanta can also alert you to water leaks. A leaking water heater can do tremendous damage because your water heater is usually out of sight, and a leak can go undetected for days or weeks. Sunnovations product roadmap includes the development of a networked valve that can shut off the water supply to the heater in the event of a leak.

The Aquanta app will help you program the controller, remind you about maintenance chores, and alert you to problems such as water leaks.

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The Aquanta smart water-heater controller promises to slash your energy bill