Insulating My Pipes In The Basement

[WFO]

I was thinking about insulating my hot water pipes and my baseboard heat pipes in my basement and don't know if it is really worth it. The cost of a 6' X 1/2 piece of foam insulation is $2.19 a section. I don't know how many pieces I need but it will be allot. Plus I was thinking how much of a benefit it could be not to have my base board pipes insulated with that heat loss it heats my basement a little bit. I think my hot water pipes make a little more sense because I would not have to run the water so long to get hot water to come out if they were insulated. Is it really worth it? Thats my question.

[norsemanberg]

I would do just your hot water pipes. You probabily loose heat throught the base board heater lines but you are still trying to heat with those lines. You arnet trying to heat with your hot water lines to your sinks or showers, plus you have hot water at the sink/shower alot faster.

[hubbycap]

I think energy savings payback on hot water pipe insulation depends a lot on how the water is used: If there were periods of frequent use followed by long periods of non-use, there would be a benefit because the water would remain hot in the pipe during the work period and would not require purging of all the cold or tepid water on each use. During long periods of inactivity the water would give up its heat anyway, insulated or not.

 

If there was only occasional hot water use with either moderate to long periods of dormancy, I don't believe there would be a quantifiable energy/water savings or convenience improvement.

 

The real payback would be if hot water recirculation was employed to have heated water primed at all times at a remote plumbing fixture. Here the hot water supply and return circuit radiation would enjoy improved efficiency.

[WFO]

I'll wait to see other replies before making my final decision. I leaning to wards not insulating hot water and base board pipes. My water does not circulate in my hot water. I see how that would pay for it self over time hubbycap.