Save 11,500 Gallons of Water a Year with Recirculation Pumps

Save 11,500 Gallons of Water per Year with Recirculation Pumps

Posted on Nov 13, 2011 in Water Conservation by Anh Speer, Ph.D. 0 Comments

Have you ever considered how many gallons of water you waste everyday while waiting for the shower or bath to warm up? Amazingly, the answer is a staggering 11,461 gallons in an average American home per year. Water conservation starts by fixing the small items that are a drain on the fresh water supply, though we are not recommending that you take cold showers. A little gadget known as a hot water recirculating pump can force hot water to showers and faucets instantly, meaning no more waiting for hot water. A bit of convenience that can help you become more eco-friendly.

Which Recirculation Pump is Right For You?

There are two main types of pumps that our research has found, one is installed above your household hot water heater, the other is installed under a sink. Both methods utilize sensors that tell the pumps when warm water needs to be pumped into the pipes. These devices circulate the colder water from pipes back into the hot water heater allowing warm water to be available on demand. These pumps are usually equipped with a 24 hour programmable timer that provides additional energy efficiency by only using the pump when needed, not when you are work for example.

Understanding the Money Saving Facts

Hot water recirculating pumps do use a small amount of energy to operate which should be considered prior to installation. The Watts instant hot water recirculating pump uses less energy than a 25 watt light bulb and the Autocirc under sink pump uses 33 watts of power. On average they will cost about $14 per year to operate assuming an average run time of an hour per day. This will be offset by the savings of 11,500 gallons of water or about $62 per year on your water bill. The pumps cost around $170 – $230 for the initial investment and have a lifespan of 15-20 years without servicing.

After three years of operation the initial investment will be washed out and the savings will begin, making this a great option for families in a single family home or similar. During those first three years you would have saved 34,500 gallons of water, a significant impact on our environment. If we could convince 10,000 homes to use the recirculating pumps, we could save 345,000,000 gallons of water over the same period. When considering that only 1% of the water on the earth’s surface is usable to human consumption, water conservation strategies are critical.

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