"I'm no greenie, but I wonder why there aren't incentives to contractors to develop solar water heaters, pipes above ground, clothes lines (!), water cachements in developments, gray box timers to control water heaters, etc."
Sounds like a greenie to me..
I just believe in wise stewardship. I don't let my children eat a bag of potato chips at one sitting, either. Just because we have resources doesn't mean I should try to exhaust them as quickly as possible. Provident living is something that all Americans used to practice.