Finally planning on adding a dishwasher to the kitchen, after far too many years. It's got me thinking about the time I have to run the hot water in my old house to actually get hot at the tap. From what I've read, I should be starting the dishwasher with hot water.(?)

We've also put in a new front-load washer, which uses far less water than I'm used to. I question whether the water ever actually gets hot while the washer is adding water during its cycle.

I've read a little about recirculation pumps, as well as point-of-use heaters. Recirculation pumps seem energy wasteful, and I'm hoping there is a better answer than an auxiliary tankless heater. If it was just the dishwasher, I could simply run the water hot before starting (yes, I know it's wasteful), but the washer adds a new wrinkle.

What do you think? Thanks!