Think about this for just a minute, what do you use hot water for in your house? Washing clothes, doing the dishes and bathing are probably the biggest uses. Since the advent of special detergents (I'm not sure anything has really changed except the marketing) and improvements in dishwashing (you probably clean them beforehand anyway), hot water needs have changed in the household. So the other of the big three is bathing which begs the question; why do we dilute hot water with cold for a comfortable shower or bath?

For the past 3 months we have been showing with only hot water in the shower. We are able to do this because we have turned the hot water heater down to a comfortable temperature for bathing. For roughly a week we turned down the hot water heater every night just a little bit until we reached the perfect temperature (for my wife). This means we have turned our hot water heater down to roughly 105 from 130 degrees F

According to DOE's EERE for every 10 degrees F you drop your thermostat you can save 3 - 5% on overall costs. We have seen a few other benefits as well. There is no guessing what to set the temperature in the shower or for hand washing the dishes. Also we know that our small children will have no chance of scalding themselves with the water. Feels good to have found more energy waste hidden in plain site.

To find hot water pipes behind walls or improve energy efficiency for an existing home, thermal images from an energy house inspection or home energy audit will reveal many of the leaks in the thermal envelop. After the review you will have a roadmap to proper weatherization. Whether you are the do it yourself, "DYI" person or want to hand off to a contractor or handyman, the roadmap will help you make the best decision first. Fixing whats found will greatly improve your comfort, savings and reduce your carbon footprint.