Sealed combustion (powered direct-vent) water heater

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MrStop

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Putting the bathroom lights on a occupancy/vacancy sensor switch to time out 10 minutes after the last occupancy was sensed was the cure for "endless shower" syndrome among the teenage population at my house! :) (YMMV)

Good idea. My other thought was to rig up some sort of timer which shuts off the hot water after a certain period of use.

On the other hand, maybe I should be thankful the kids are showering? Now, if I can get them to dry and air out their sports gear...
 

Jadnashua

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FWIW, my gas usage this winter season so far is much less than last year, and the only thing that changed is the average temperature...this winter has been noticeably warmer than last winter, so you need to compare the average temperature to rule that out for your water heating portion of the bill.
 

MrStop

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FWIW, my gas usage this winter season so far is much less than last year, and the only thing that changed is the average temperature...this winter has been noticeably warmer than last winter, so you need to compare the average temperature to rule that out for your water heating portion of the bill.

I actually track my gas and electric use by month. I adjust my energy consumption with heating and cooling degree days to give a more accurate assessment of my overall home efficiency. After rechecking my numbers after I got home, you are correct in that we had a bit warmer weather. I'm seeing a bit improvement in my overall home efficiency rating. However, it is too early to assess the trend as, even with adjusting for total degree days, I get some wobble even on a rolling 12-month calculation.

At the end of the day, I don't and didn't expect much gas savings from switching to a much more efficient water heater. My water heater is a fairly small gas load compared to my heating especially since I use lower flow shower heads and efficient appliances. However, I am surprised it isn't more readily apparent in the data. My hypothesis is that, like reports from those who have tankless units, longer showers are erasing some of the savings.
 

Master Plumber Mark

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That is the dilemma when it comes to endless hot water especially with teenagers.
if you give them too much hot water it means that they will just spank it longer..


you have to put shower heads on that limit the water usage....
bu tthen they might just stay in there all day long....

maybe a shower faucet that takes 2 quarters for every 5 minutes would work.....
 

Master Plumber Mark

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