Dan Espen wrote:
Vlad Lescovitz writes:

The wife doesn't like the house being set at 55 degrees
so she (and the teen) take long showers, only leaving
the bathroom when the 50 gallon ho****er tank runs cold.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_temperature

According to the West Midlands Public Health Observatory an
adequate level of wintertime warmth is 21 °C (70 °F) for a living
room, and a minimum of 18 °C (64 °F) for other occupied rooms, giving
24 °C (75 °F) as a maximum comfortable room temperature for sedentary
adults. At temperatures below 20 °C (68 °F), increased risk of
death has been observed, and winter deaths reportedly rise at a rate
of about 1.4% per degree below 18 °C (64 °F).

Why the wife doesn't just turn up the thermostat is a mystery.

My propane ho****er heater is set to something like 135 degrees.
That means a lot of hot water is going down the drain.

I wonder - is there a calculation done on how much
energy it takes to heat 50 gallons of water with propane
versus how much energy it takes to heat a house by 5
degrees with propane?

Maybe it is cheaper to just heat the house more?

Yeah, I don't have to do the math.
Most of the heat put in the water leaves by way of the drain.

So, is it you trying to force your family to live at 55?
That's just cruel.

Eskimo Igloo may be warmer than 55 deg., LOL!
Our thermostat is programmed at 20.5C and 18.0C.
When we're away on vacation, at 14.5C all the time
in winter, 23.5C in summer. Any how I can remotely
adjust the settings any time any where if there is
Internet access.