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Why do we still waste water and energy waiting for hot water to arrive, what is it costing us? There are 5 basic questions you need to ask to receive the answer.
How long do you wait for hot water to arrive?
How much Water are you wasting?
How much Energy are you wasting?
How much is it Costing you?
Is there a sustainable solution to this problem?
Actually we should ask ourselves these 5 questions every time we turn on a hot tap and the answer to question No. 5 is Yes effectively cancelling out the first 4 questions. The solution and technology to rectify inefficient hot water delivery in new home construction has been available for many years. So why is it still not available in the Environmentally Star rated homes that are currently being constructed? Simple the Government and Building Industry are just not interested in doing anything about the problem and they have known about the solution for 10 years.
The solution is a simple one by using modern technology and smart hot water plumbing design (Structured Plumbing) when installed a new home it can deliver hot water to any fixture and waste no more than 1 to 2 cups of water waiting for hot water to arrive. In doing so using less energy than flushing the water down the drain. For approximately every 20 litres of water wasted waiting for hot water to arrive 1 kWh of associated energies are lost, the average home wastes around 15,000 litres of water per annum waiting for hot water and that's around 750 kWh of associated energy lost per house hold.
To achieve sustainable hot water delivery and waste no more than a cup or two of water during hot water delivery you require your hot water supply to be 1 or 2 cup volume (or Pipe volume) from the hot water supply. Under existing plumbing design this is not really practical as it would require to have a hot water heater at all hot water points in the home. Or would it? Consider this, what if the main Hot Water supply pipe was to be the direct source of hot water all you would then require is that the hot water fixture is installed within 1 to 2 cups Pipe Length volume from the hot water supply. By using the technology now available and priming the hot water pipe on demand prior to turning on the hot water fixture you can now bring the hot water to within 1 to 2 cups volume of the fixture if the home is plumbed correctly eliminating the need of multiple hot water heaters. All the water that would normally would be wasted is returned to the hot water heater and as this water is delivered more efficiently it provides around a 20% proven energy saving in the heating of the hot water in the process, but only if the correct technology is used.
The good news is this new technology can also be retro fitted to existing homes without any special plumbing required, it uses the cold water pipe as a return to the hot water heater and will work with all mains pressure hot water heaters. But buyer beware as there are a number of products available that claim to save water and energy that operate by diverting the water into a storage tank or operate on a timer and temperature switch control system, these units do not save Energy and can be in some cases costly and complicated to install. Only a true on demand operated hot water recirculation system can offer you the true water and energy savings. When looking at these types of products look at what the manufacturer has to offer, Long Warranty, Life Expectancy, proven performance and meets all required Standards and Codes.
Of all the products available one stands out, the original that was developed over 20 years ago in the USA and the one every other manufacturer has tried to copy or mimic without much success, it is the ACT D'MAND® Kontrol® System.
Sustainable hot water efficiency and delivery is possible at the press of a button, you can turn your existing hot water heater into an water and energy saving instant hot water supply system that you are in control of. Just 3 simple steps, press button, wait for the hot water to be drawn forward (you do this now but watch your water and money going down the drain) and then turn on the fixture and within 1 to 2 seconds hot water arrives.
For more information:
Website: www.auswaterenergy.com.au
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