Compost pile hot tub water heater

That’s a great question, and a great practice. Insulating hot water pipes can show a savings of up to 20% on your total water heating costs.

There are a few products used for insulating water lines, like a simple foam sheath, which offers an insulating value of roughly R-2. This is what is typically used in residential construction, they are either expanded synthetic rubber or expanded polyethylene.

Also available is a fiberglass sheath, that’s more commonly seen in commercial and institutional buildings than homes despite the fact that it offers a better coefficient of thermal insulation (near R-4).

If indoor air quality is a top priority for you, we would recommend you opt for the polyethylene foam insulation as it does not emit odors or VOCs. The synthetic rubber (or EPDM) sheaths can produce odors that adversely affect people who are extremely sensitive to chemicals. This information comes from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), despite the fact that this product is UV resistant and therefore acceptable for use outside, which is not the case of polyethylene.

Finally, almost all brands of fiberglass insulation contain a formaldehyde-based adhesive that can escape into the ambient air when the product is exposed to high humidity and high temperatures. The fiberglass sheath is characterized by a higher insulation coefficient, which can nevertheless be achieved by installing a larger diameter polyethylene foam sheath over a smaller sheath. You can wrap the sections still exposed to the insulation tape to complete the work.

Remember that cold water pipe insulation is also a good practice that prevents moisture condensation on the cold walls of the pipe, which protects nearby building materials from the risk of any water damage.

If you’ve got that big a house on a slab then we would say yes, it’s a good idea to have two tanks to service individual sides of the house. And it won’t cost a whole lot more to have two smaller tanks rather than one big one. It would certainly cut down on energy loss and wasted water in not having to feed hot water from a long distance.

The upfront cost of heat pump water heaters would be quite a burden, so I wouldn’t do that for both, but maybe for one of them if one side of the house will have the majority of use.

 We would also caution you not to get too enamoured with ‘tankless and on demand water heaters’, they have their place, but when running off well water there is an increased risk of them breaking down if there is high mineral content in the water. I installed one in my own house (it was not cheap) and it only lasted about 3 years until a coil burnt out and I had to switch it out for a standard water heater.

Here are our pages about home water efficiency, choosing low-flow fixtures and toilets, water-efficient showerheads and heat pump water heaters. You should also fix dripping faucets (or leaking taps in the UK) using our comprehensive guide. If you are looking to improve your overall home efficiency and you have the budget to do it, our favourite heat pump water heater is the SANC02 (see here). It is the most efficient, but as you may have guessed it is also the most expensive!