Insulating Hot Water Pipes
From BuildingHomes.ca
This is my hot water heater, located in the basement.
The pipes shown from left to right, are:
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Our ensuite shower is on the second floor, in line with the hotwater heater in the basement. Unfortunately, the exposed hotwater pipe meanders all over the basement before passing through the other bathrooms and reaching the ensuite shower. (So much for the shortest distance between two points being a straight line) The few pennies worth of energy lost in this extra pipe, will add up after many morning showers.
Here's what I did:
| I bought some 1/2" pipe insulation from Rona. The insulation is a flexible foam rubber type of material, which comes in 90cm (3') sections, and has a slit along the side so it can be wrapped around the pipe. It can be cut easily with a pair of scissors to the length of the pipe. |  |
It's pretty simple to install.
| Measure it to the pipe section. | 
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| Cut it with a pair of scissors. | 
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| Fit it around the pipe. | 
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| Finished. | 
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I bought 20 sections of insulation for a total of 18 metres (60'). It took me about 20 minutes to insulate all the exposed pipe in the basement. It cost me a whopping $7. I'm sure I'll save more than that in heating costs over a few years. It may not be a huge savings, but this project was cheap, simple to do, and gives me some peace of mind that I am doing what I can to save energy.
There was another type of insulation that was simular; it had an adhesive along the slit so it can be sealed it shut after being put around the pipe. It was an extra 10 cents per section.
