Living Efficiently with Tom: Pipe Insulation
Because insulating hot water pipes is a pretty quick and easy thing to do (at least where you can get at the pipes), this was one of my first efficiency projects after moving into the house.
Keeping Hot Water Hot
Most hot water piping is just a thin-walled copper tube. Copper conducts heat well: if you put your hand near the pipes, you may notice that your hot water pipes give off a lot of heat. That's heat that your water heater put a lot of effort (i.e., energy!) into generating – and it's being wasted as the water makes its way to your bathroom, clotheswasher and sink.
So if you can keep more of that heat inside the pipe, the water will be hotter once it reaches the showerhead or faucet. This means you won't need to run the water as long in order for it to heat it up (in other words, less wasted water), and you might even be able to turn down your hot water heater – all ways to save energy and reduce your utility bills. The Department of Energy estimates that insulating hot water pipes can make the water two to four degrees hotter at the tap or showerhead.
Insulating Pipes, Inch by Inch
You can find foam insulation tubes at most hardware and home improvement stores, and they come in a variety of diameters to suit the size of your pipes (be sure to measure before you buy). Some have a sticky strip along the gap that seals it all up nicely, but tape will do just as well.
One challenge you might encounter when insulating your pipes is getting access to them. Working in the finished section of our basement, I was able to insulate about eight feet of pipe, starting from where it came out from the water heater. Then I pushed the tubing along in another area that was out of direct reach until I came to a bend in the pipe and couldn't go any further. Add to that a couple of other short stretches I was able to get at, and altogether I probably insulated maybe half of the hot water piping in the house.
Further Resources
The Department of Energy's Energy Savers discusses pipe insulation.
