Lower My Bills: Chili Pepper for Hot Water
What’s a ChiliPepper, and how does it save water and energy?
A ChiliPepper is a simple device that provides instant hot water to any location in your home while also saving water and energy. It’s an example of a class of devices known as “on-demand hot water recirculation pumps”. It’s usually installed under a sink, and is about the size of a small book:
They are generally easy to install, requiring access to a wall plug and the two shut off valves found under all sinks. Activated by the push of a button (or more elaborately with a remote switch, timer or motion sensor), this device provides instant hot water without wasting thousands of gallons of unheated water per year or hundreds of dollars of wasted energy.
It’s a great solution for two different problems.
Long Waits for Hot Water
If you have sinks or showers in your home where there’s a long wait for hot water and you’d like to speed it up and avoid wasting water, this device will do both.
Instead of watching the cold water run down the drain, you simply push a button to trigger the pump. It pulls the initial cold water out of the hot water pipes, but instead of wasting it down the drain it pushes that water back into the cold pipes. As soon as the hot water arrives (usually less than a minute, because it’s a very powerful pump) it shuts itself off.
No water wasted, and the hot water is now at your sink or nearby shower.
It will take a few days to get used to pushing the button, but if you do it when you first enter the bathroom, the hot water will be there before you’re ready to use it.
Big House with High Energy Bills
Many larger homes have something called a continuous hot water recirculation pump and they are very expensive, often wasting over $600 of energy per year. They are so wasteful that in 2006, California passed a law making them illegal in new multi-family dwellings.
Builders have been installing them in larger homes for years, usually without the homeowner’s knowledge. They do provide instant hot water at every faucet and shower in the house, but they do it in a very inefficient manner: by continuously circulating hot water through the maze of copper pipes running through your walls, crawlspaces and attics. This takes electricity (the pumps consume 70 to 100 watts, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year) and even worse: it makes your hot water heater work overtime because it must constantly reheat the water that cooled off while running through your pipes, even if they are insulated.
If you have an existing recirculation pump and you’d like to reduce energy waste and lower your utility bills, then the ChiliPepper is a simple solution.
Getting a ChiliPepper
With water and energy prices rising, these devices like a ChiliPepper make a lot of sense. Currently priced under $200, it’s a good deal. For many, the savings will pay for itself in reasonable time.
There are other types of on-demand recirc pumps as well, but they are generally more elaborate and expensive. Two examples:
They all work similarly as illustrated below:
For any of these pumps, the main options relate to where the pump is located (near the hot water tank or near a faucet) and how it is activated. Activation options include:
- Simple pushbutton switch located near the pump;
- A remote pushbutton switch located someplace more convenient;
- A timer set to trigger the pump just before your regular shower times;
- A motion sensor that triggers the pump when you walk into a bathroom;
- A sensor that detects when hot water is being used.
Installation Notes
You or your plumber can install a ChiliPepper under nearly any kitchen or bathroom sink. It generally works best to install it on the sink farthest from the water heater, which would then provide hot water for all the other sinks and showers in between.
You’ll need access to a normal outlet to plug it in, a simple wrench to connect two flexible hoses to the shut off valves (using tees provided), and you’ll also need to decide where to locate the pushbutton. See more detailed installation instructions from ChiliPepper.
Overall, we give ChiliPepper a thumbs up as way to lower energy and water bills. The device pays for itself for years to come.
