"Many people set the temperature of their hot water cylinder too high. The ideal setting is 60°C. It is important that the water in the cylinder is this hot to kill bacteria such as legionella but higher temperature settings only increase your power bill and can scald you (it only takes one second at 70°C)"

I think there has been a lot of "Hype" about both the water temp., and "legionella"! Firstly with the new hot water code we have had "Heat as you use" hot water for years. When we first got it when you turned it on at the control it started at 60 and could be increased to 75 degC in the kitchen but in the bathroom it was 40 rising to 50C. With the bathroom having over riding control so if you were in the shower it couldn't be changed.

The system we had packed it in after 20 years and had to be updated, the new one with new regulation must not go over 55 in the kitchen and 50 in the bathroom.

The part that is annoying is we like "HOT" water to wash the dishes so to get it hotter we need to boil the jug!

Now with "legionella" I have never met or even know anyone that has died or been sick in anyway through legionaries disease despite bot me and my wife working many years in and around dairy factories where there are many water cooling towers which are the main habitat of the bug but I DO know lits of people killed by car accidents!

I think people worry needlessly over things they may never come near and this is mostly caused by the media "Sensationalising" news to boost sales.

You are right Brian, most people don't come in contact with legionariers. This desease is an airborne bacteria commonly generated from untreated cooling towers, if breathed it can cause searious pneumonia and can be fatal. The hype in the media is justified in as much that it puts focus on industry that should clean up it's act with a water treating program in their towers to prevent this, not differcult.