Here in California we are still in a drought. Our water bill is over $250 a month. Needless to say we try to conserve water anyway we can. One thing almost everyone can do to save water is to prevent running the water in the shower or sink to get it hot. We needed to run the hot water for 5 minutes to get it hot because our bathroom is far away from the hot water heater.
There is a device called a Hot Water Recirculator that can be retrofitted under a sink. The way it works is it has a timer and a temperature sensor. A pump moves water from the hot water line to the cold water line. When the temperature sensor detects water above 95 degrees, it shuts off the pump. The timer determines when the pump should run. We have ours set to run in the morning, which is when we take our showers.
This can be installed easily and does not require a plumber. It uses a very small amount of electricity. It should not be used with a tankless water heater.
One drawback is sometimes the cold water comes out warm, but you only have to run it for a few seconds to get cold water.
Here is a link to the product on Amazon.
P.S. Laura thinks this is the most boring blog ever written, but I think these issues need to be addressed. Laura say, “snooze snooze snooze!” She just excused herself to take a hot shower.
