A: First, Steven, thanks for calling me cool. I'll make sure I pass that info on to my 17-year old- son!

As far as your faucet idea, the good news is that you do have a great idea. The bad news is that there have been several versions of your idea on the market for many decades. While they don't necessarily have heaters directly in the faucet, the concept is the same. There are a couple basic versions that you can choose from to get almost instant hot water from a faucet or shower and here they are:

The first is called a point-of-use water heater -- simply a small electric water heater that is installed in the cabinet directly under the faucet. This basically works the same way as your ide, and it is more cost-effective than trying to put a powerful on-demand heater into a faucet.

The second is called a re-circulating hot water system. There are two versions. In new construction you actually install a feed and return hot water line to each fixture with a circulator looped into the main water heater tank. That keeps hot water circulating throughout the home until it's needed. Hotels have used this concept for years. For existing homes without hot-water loops, new on-demand systems incorporate mixing valves at the fixtures that actually use existing cold water lines as returns back to the water heater. A circulator runs only when needed to draw hot water to the fixture.

All of these systems can be complicated to install, and a plumber should be consulted for any on-demand hot water project. The benefit to having almost-instant hot water is, of course convenience, but there are also huge water-saving opportunities because cold water is no longer wasted down the drain while you wait for your hot water.

It was a great idea, Steven — just a little too late!