Opportunities to change your plumbing don’t come along very often, so seize the opportunity if you get it. Copper plumbing pipes conduct heat and, as hot water passes through them, they absorb part of the energy provided by the water heater. You can save a lot of energy, reduce your GHG emissions and protect your health by optimizing the plumbing in the home.

Our recommendations :

1. If you’re planning to redo your plumbing, reduce the length of hot water pipes and avoid putting them in outside walls. This will cut both heat loss and the risk of mould related to condensation on pipe surfaces.
2. Without changing your plumbing as such, you can insulate accessible hot water pipes to save energy. Insulating the pipes keeps the water hot longer, so the waiting time before you get hot water in the faucet is shorter, which also saves water.
3. Installing an insulating cover on older hot water heaters also reduces energy loss and saves about 10% of energy.
4. Adjust the temperature of the water heater. The temperature is usually set at 60°C. Lowering it to 55°C generates energy savings of 3% to 5%. To avoid bacterial contamination, the water temperature should never be set below 52°C.

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