[Greenbuilding] 3/8" domestic hot water supply line?

[David Seth Melchert]

This touches on a subject worth noting. In the February Green 
Remodeler's Guild meeting in Berkeley there was a speaker from the 
California Energy Commission who is an expert on water issues, Gary 
Kline. He noted that in California something close to 30% of ALL energy 
consumption goes to water. Not just heating, but to transporting, 
filtering and disposing. This was a revelation to me. It means that 
water conservation is not just a resource issue but also an energy 
conservation (and air pollution/climate change) issue. On this list 
there are many conversations centered about conserving the energy of hot 
water, but any water you run down the tap is a waste of energy.

One of the things Gary noted that enhances conservation would be 3/8" 
water supply tubing, and paying very close attention to the 
trunk/branch/twig arrangement of the supply tubing, to minimize the 
amount of water wasted waiting for the hot water to arrive.

As yet I have not seen 3/8 copper tubing readily available, but with the 
cost of copper these days and the diminishing abundance of water I 
wonder if it will become prevalent.

Seth Melchert
Oakland CA

Reuben Deumling wrote:
> Can anyone speak to the desirability of a <1/2" hot water line?...
>