Do your water pipes pass through an unheated area? Do they run under your house or from an unheated utility room? If so, insulate your pipes—at least the hot water pipes. Uninsulated hot water pipes lose heat and cause your water heater to to work harder. While the same is not true of cold water pipes, insulating them can prevent them from sweating and dripping in heated areas, or freezing in unheated areas.
Easy to use, pre-formed foam pipe insulation sleeves are available. These sleeves have a slit down their length and just snap in place on the pipes. Cut them to length to fit as closely as possible at all ends, corners and junctions. With a little imagination, you can cut miters and angles in the material in such a way that the insulation completely covers any junctions. Cover the slits and joints with vinyl duct tape.
