Ever wonder why the colder it gets outside, the longer it takes hot water to get to your tap? When temperatures drop, you want hot water quickly for showers, washing hands and doing dishes. But what you get instead is ice-cold water. Here's how to shorten the wait and save a few bucks, to boot. If you want hot water faster, check the pipes that carry it from the water heater to your tap. Usually they snake around your home, often through ice-cold crawl spaces, where normal conduction steals the warmth of your heated water and drives utility bills even higher. The answer is to insulate with a prefabricated neoprene pipe wrap. It's found in hardware stores and home centers and comes in standard sizes for various pipe widths. It has a peel-and-stick seam for a snug fit. Experience has taught us, however, to keep a roll of duct tape handy, too. And that's the On The House tip for today.