Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The pump idea sounds spendy and would waste more heat overall than just allowing the water to go tepid. I would not conserve water at the cost of having to spend more on heating.
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The pumps that I've seen just have a push button or a timer, I am thinking about installing one with a button to get the hot water to you as they tend to also have a thermostat so they shut off as soon as they've gotten the hot water to sink.
Other option is if you have a sink that is at the far end of the house from the hot water heater then you can install an under sink hot water heater just for that sink, they tend to be a small 5-6 gallon tank, not enough for a tub or shower but enough for a kitchen sink, giving you hotter water quicker.
But I'm in a similar situation as you, one room mate and one co-home-owner and I was told that my co-home-owner would be happy to pay for half of everything as long as it didn't impede on comfort.
Everyone likes the shower head shut off valve and the dual flush toilet, the low flow (1.5gpm) shower head was an improvement over the quality of the shower spray, I also have a timer on the water heater, it turns on from 6:30am to 8am and from 3pm to 4:30pm, figures it saves around $10 to $15 per month and no one has complained about a lack of hot water in the last 2 years, the idea with the time settings is to heat up the water and turn off before peek use so that you are using what was heated and not reheating as you walk out the door or head to bed.
You can save in other ways too, plug in electric hot water pot is great as it uses 1/4 of the energy to heat stove top and half of what it uses in a microwave with a toaster style switch that trips turning it off when the water boils.
I've also installed a motion sensor switch in the garage so while entering with a bicycle after dark the light comes on and stays on long enough to put things away and close up but it can never be left on if no one is in there, it also helps in seeing who is out in the garage, motion sensor switch's like that are great for basements or even bath rooms for controlling the vent fan, you can also get humidistat's for turning on and off vent fans, but where you live, with the humidity that might not work well.
The idea is, if it's just you then you can have complete control, but if you live with others then well made efficient devices pared with automation with simple sensors and timers can help out alot.