Live in Michigan......in a ranch.....hot water is in basement at other end of house.....can get hot water in bathroom ok......(in middle of house)......but its a pain to get hot water to kitchen sink....hate to run water like we do to get the water to get warm....let alone hot....hate to mess with temp of hot water tank...

 

There are three options I can think of.
The prefered would be to relocate the hotwater tank closer to the locations that require water.
Alternatively, you could use an under the counter instant hot water (requires space and not a cheap solution to buy or run).
Or you could use a hot water circulation system. I haven't looked into these but it has been mentioned a few times on the forum here. It basically circulates the hot water to the required location and back to the tank, so there is always hot water. Good if you can schedule it (i.e. shower rush in the morning), but may be more expensive to run for areas like the kitchen sink.

 

First off, is your hot water line insulated? if not, are the pipes accessible so you can insulate them?

 

If it's really an issue, I would recommend a hot water recirculating pump. Basically, when the hot water drops below a certain temperature, it pumps the luke-warm water back into the cold water pipe and allows hotter water to flow to the sink. It will ensure you always have hot water at the sink at the cost of re-heating a gallon or two of water as it cools down.

As Mike mentioned, they also have timers since you likely won't need hot water immediately between midnight and 6am (or whatever times make sense for you and your family).

I can't imagine it using a lot of extra energy between the pump and water heater, but obviously it will be some.

I've found that insulating pipes help a bit, but will really only keep the already hot water warmer for a bit longer.

 

I install and use these. It works well.

Instant Hot Water Recirculating System - New Products - Watts