Taking care of hot water on demand

“Dealing with the Wait for Hot Water” generated two thoughtful responses last week worth sharing.

George M. Blackburn III, AIA, general manager for Construction Consulting International, Carrollton, Tex., came right to the point regarding continuously circulating hot water: “Shame on you for allowing this very energy wasteful, outdated concept to be proposed in AIArchitect,” he writes.

H. Thorvald Rygaard, AIA, Lee’s Summit, Mo., added a few other thoughts:
“Two additional large items seemed to have been overlooked in this article. First, the instant hot water heater installed at the faucet has its pros and cons. I hear the federal government is giving tax credit for the cost of installing these units. [Ed. note: Refer to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58.] The second item is the value of insulating the hot water lines and associated pros and cons: insulation and installation cost vs. savings.

“The article seemed to entirely overlook the question of energy usage as well as costs vs. long-term savings. The author dwelled only on water usage. Both costs and energy need to be weighed against each other and corresponding water saved.”

What do you think? Let us know.