How much hot water does your family use?

Beware of high temperature settings.

Recommendations on temperature settings do vary, but we've found that 120°F is a good, safe setting. This is the factory setting on most new electric water heaters. Some suggest that households with dishwashers may wish to go as high as 140°F (64°C), although at this high temperature, scalding becomes a very serious concern, especially with small children in the house. Scalding can occur at 120°F, but it takes much longer. Water at 140°F can scald a child in a matter of seconds. Since the average hot shower is about 105°F, it makes good sense to set your water heater to 120°F. It's certainly more economical to heat your water to this lower temperature.