More efficient to use hot water from water heater when cooking than tap water at room temp.?

Question

What is more efficient? Hot water from water heater at 120 F - 140 F, then heating to boiling point. Or, heating water on stove from room temperature to boiling point. There are a lot of variables on this one. I imagine there will be many different answers.

Answer 1

The magazine published by my local electrical co-op just published an article on this subject. The article stated that is more beneficial to heat the water on the stove top. However, the article also stated that the most efficient method is to use the microwave.

Answer 2

Efficient, yes, good idea, no. Realize that water sits in the water heater tank and deposits form. This is not something I want to ingest. You never see a professional chef use hot water. Most recipes that call for hot water also specify starting from cold water. While things like boiled eggs never actually get the consumed part in the water, you need to adjust cooking times because of starting with hot water. If you ever drain and flush a water tank you will see what I mean.

Answer 3

well, either way you need to heat it, either the water heater or the stove... both use energy. if you just capture water when you start the faucet, that would be less wastefull (in my eyes), but I am not an expert on this, efficiency of your water heater, the btu output of your stove and other variables come in to play to actually work the calculations to figure it out.

Answer 4

Here are some facts about the many benefits of water:

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One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University study.
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Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
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Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
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A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or
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Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.