Choose modern low-flow plumbing. Low-flow faucets and shower heads reduce not only your water usage, but also the electricity needed to produce hot water since you’re using less of it. Add drain water heat recovery to your shower pipe. This “drain heat recovery” can recover about 60% of the water heat energy in an average house. The heat energy from the outgoing shower water or warm wastewater (from your clothes washer, for example) is transferred to incoming water. A simple device, once installed, it works for decades. (92)