[geomark]

In the country I live virtually every house is plumbed with PVC. Works great and only fails if done extremely poorly. Of course, they don't run hot water through it. Most people here think it is bizarre to have a big tank of hot water at one end of the house (often the garage) that is sent throughout the house, rather than having instant hot water heaters at the point of use.

[pimlottc]

The efficiency of hot water heaters is actually surprisingly good. A modern insulated tank retains heat very well. And it's more flexible for heating options since the water can be heated slowly over time. You can now get heat pump water heaters that are more efficient than tankless heaters. [0]

Water heaters are pretty clever, in a low-tech sort of way. Technology Connections did a good video about them recently. [1]

0: https://livefreehc.com/blog/heat-pump-water-heater-vs-tankle...

1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm7L-2J52GU