Webinar: Alternative Design for Domestic Water Heating

Reducing time-to-tap is the tip of the iceberg: The latest information on how to improve hot water systems in single-family and multifamily buildings.

Gary Klein offers a new look at how typical residential water distribution systems can be designed to save energy and water. 

As improvements in building envelopes and mechanical systems have reduced their impact on energy use, domestic water heating has become one of the most dominant energy uses in residential buildings. 

Similar improvements in plumbing fixtures and codes have reduced water consumption in buildings. However, the design of typical residential water distribution systems has not kept pace and consequently many residential systems are oversized. Oversizing a domestic water system increases energy use, water waste, and the embodied energy and carbon of the plumbing system. 

Klein presents an alternative design methodology that results in a domestic water system appropriately sized for the population it serves, that reduces both first costs and operating costs.

No stranger to this important topic, Klein has led the effort to incorporate “hot water as a system” into the core principles of building science since the 1990s and spent 19 years with the California Energy Commission. The International Association of Plumber and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) recognized Klein’s efforts in 2014, presenting him their Green Professional of the Year award.

The Housing 2.0 program is made possible by the generous support of building industry leaders, including Mitsubishi Electric, ZIP System, Panasonic, and Schneider Electric.