In our 2006 annual Kitchens & Baths issue you’ll find “Hot Water Now,” a primer on the concept of hot-water recirculation, a plumbing strategy designed to provide homeowners with instant hot water while saving their time, water, and money. No doubt about it, recirculation is a step in the right direction. The best way to set up a system however, is a bit more contentious.

 To continue the discussion and to help answer your questions about hot-water delivery, we invited industry experts Gary Klein and Dave Yates (see bios below) to moderate a thread on Breaktime, Fine Homebuilding‘s online forum.

• Click here to join the discussion.

Gary Klein

Gary has been intimately involved in energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1973. In 1975 he earned a BA in Technology and Society with concentrations in energy conservation, energy efficiency, and environmentally appropriate technologies. One-fourth of his career was spent in Lesotho, the rest in the United States. Gary has a passion for hot water: getting into it, getting out of it and efficiently delivering it to meet customer’s needs. He currently works in the Demand Analysis Office of the California Energy Commission and chairs the recently formed Task Force on Residential Hot Water Distribution Systems. Gary has published more than 25 articles on topics including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and hot-water delivery.

Dave Yates

Born and raised in York, Pennsylvania, Dave began his career in the PHVAC trades in 1971. After serving his apprenticeship and working his way to Master Plumber status, Dave struck out on his own in September of 1979. In 1985, Dave returned to the company where he had served his apprentice years and purchased F. W. Behler, Inc., a third-generation PHVAC firm which is celebrating 106 years of service this year. Dave’s company has won numerous awards for its work, and he is the recent recipient of the Carlson-Holohan Industry Award of Excellence. A published author in numerous trade publications in the USA and overseas, Dave has also written articles for the World Book Encyclopedia. In addition to teaching, lecturing and presentations throughout the United States, Dave was recently hired as an Adjunct Professor at the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. Over the course of his career Dave has designed and installed just about every type of hot-water recirculation system.