Domestic Hot Water Recirculation
Can Domestic Hot Water Recirculation Systems Conserve Energy?
The US Department of Energy estimates that more than 400 billion gallons of water are wasted nationally from people waiting for hot water to arrive at the fixture. Hot water recirculation systems solve this problem by bringing hot water closer to the point of use.
There's just one problem: many recirculation systems run all day, every day, which wastes pumping and heating energy. A setback allowing a 10 degree temperature drop in the circulation pipes during unoccupied times can reduce standby losses in the system by as much as 25%.
Read this Smart Tip to learn how the Illinois Energy Code Addresses this subject.