Are hot-water circulation systems worth the cost?

Two callers phoned Chelan County PUD’s Conservation Department in the last month to ask about installing equipment to help hot water get to their taps sooner. This is a fairly common problem: Water heaters are so far away from bathrooms and kitchens that customers have to let water run through their plumbing for a long time before it’s hot. That wastes water and energy, and tests one’s patience.

Mark Wiser, conservation program manager, referred customers to several Web sites that address this problem (see links below). One solution is installing equipment to circulate hot water. You’ll spend more on energy but less on water. The bottom line, Wiser says, is that “hot water recirculation will add additional costs which include pump operation, heat loss from pipes, extra insulation of pipes, and the equipment itself. It will save on water, since customers don’t run the water system as long to get to temperature, and is more convenient.”

One thing that isn’t mentioned in the Web articles is heat transfer from pipes. If the pipes are kept hot, Wiser notes, they will transfer heat into the house. The loss of hot water then needs to be replaced, causing the heater to run more. In the winter, this reduces the heating requirements of the home slightly, but in the summer this adds to the cooling requirements.

Here’s an article that discusses hot water recirculation systems: http://energyexperts.org/EnergySolutionsDatabase/ResourceDetail.aspx?id=4019

Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.grundfos.com/Web/HomeUs.nsf/Webopslag/76D6ABACA35052D986256AEE00555E40

Energy waste in hot water recirculation systems: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/Recirc/RecircEnergy.htm

Inefficiencies common in many hot water circulators: http://www.redytemp.com/efficient_hot_water_circulation.html

In tough economic times, growing your own vegetables is a good way to save money. But not everybody knows how to raise their own radishes, raspberries and radicchio.

Enter the Chelan County Master Gardeners. They’ve started the Garden for Food project to encourage both new and experienced gardeners to plant and harvest vegetables from their backyards, patios and decks.  Our local experts can help you from hoeing to harvest. Gardening resources and a class list  are available on the project’s Web site.

There are many good reasons for growing your own. With commercial farming, a tremendous amount of energy goes into making fertilizers and pesticides; processing, packaging and storing produce; and transportating crops to markets. These costs and environmental impacts can be reduced through home gardening, or buying produce locally through groups such as Wenatchee’s Community Farm Connection.

More information:
Cascade Harvest Coalition
The Sustainable Table: Fossil Fuel and Energy Use
Gardening = Energy Savings

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Learn how to use less fertilizer, less water and do less work by “Gardening with Nature in Mind” from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at the Chelan County PUD Auditorium, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee.

Bonnie Orr, well-known local gardener and “The Dirt Diva” radio personality, and Ted Alway, owner of Derby Canyon Natives nursery in Peshastin, will lead the free workshop, sponsored by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust.

Learn how to create a landscape that is aesthetically pleasing, requires little maintenance, and is environmentally sound. By choosing the correct plants for our climate and planting in the right locations, your yard will blossom while benefiting birds, butterflies and the “good” insects.

Speaking of which, the Land Trust also is planning the workshop “In Celebration of Insects” on June 3. For more information on locations and to register, call the Land Trust at (509) 667-9708.