There’s nothing more annoying that having to wait several minutes for hot water to reach your shower or facuet.  Not only does this waste time, but it wastes gallons of water.  The solution?  Many houses, including mine, have circulation pumps installed that constantly circulate hot water so there is always a ready supply of hot water where and when you need it.  

Problem solved, right?

Wrong!

Constantly circulating your hot water means you water heater is heating and re-heating the water over and over.  This actually costs more money than the water that is lost when you have to wait on hot water to reach your shower (no circulating pump).

So what’s the real solution?

Some circulating pumps come with a built in timer.  You set the pump to run only during the times you are most likely to need it.  At our house, we have the pump set to run for 2 hours in the morning and for 4 hours at night.  This drastically reduces the amount of energy used to heat and reheat water as it circulates, while also reducing the amount of water wasted while waiting for hot water to reach your faucet.

If your circulating pump doesn’t have a timer, just buy a heavy-duty appliance timer from your hardware store for around $10.  Plug it into the outlet your pump uses and then plug the pump into the timer.  Set it for the times you want and start saving energy and water!!

Cost:  around $10

Monthly savings:  Varies according to the efficiency of your water heater, but we saved at least $20 per month after setting up the timer.

Payback:  1 month or less.

Photo Credit:  Krikit ♥