I used to live in a house with an instantaneous hot water heater – it didn’t store any water, but ran water through copper tubing surrounded by flame when the hot water faucet was turned on. We never ran out of hot water – it was instant!
And I’ve resented the fact that those units couldn’t be found for years, and now are available, but outrageously expensive. So I found another way to reduce my energy bill. Looking down at the base of the hot water heater, I noticed a dial, which I dialed back from hot to warm. Then I saw ‘vacation’ and I dialed it to the lowest setting.
It’s amazing what happened to my energy bill this summer, even with the air conditioning running way more than usual. And when I want to shower, do the dishes, do the laundry – I just turn it back up 15 minutes or so beforehand.
I feel better about my carbon footprint, my checkbook is considerably happier, life is good!