Showing posts with label green plumbing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green plumbing. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
More Green Plumbing Tips!
We all want to save money during these challenging economic times, and making green plumbing improvements is one of the best money-saving changes you can make. But in addition to saving you a lot of green in your wallet, green plumbing solutions around the home are some of the most effective and easy things you can do to reduce energy consumption, to improve your health and to help the environment.Green Plumbing and Energy Reduction
When it comes to your energy bills, most people focus on their furnaces or air conditioners. But your plumbing system also has a big impact on how much energy you consume.
- Unprotected pipes, especially ones in exterior walls, are responsible for a huge amount of heat loss as water flows from your hot water tank to a faucet. Insulating pipes keeps more of this heat in, significantly cutting into your energy usage and saving you money on your utility bill.
- If you are considering a plumbing remodel, upgrade or new home construction, keeping pipes out of exterior walls altogether will eliminate unnecessary heat loss. Instead, run pipes through insulated and interior spaces where temperature is more regulated.
- Invest in an on-demand hot water pump. These devices send hot water to fixtures in seconds, eliminating costs that arise when hot water is left to sit unused in your pipes and reducing water usage overall.
- Hot water heaters constitute up to 15 percent of your home’s total energy usage. A new, energy-efficient water heater can cut a big chunk out of high utility bills.
Green Plumbing and Your Health
It’s true-—improving the efficiency of your home’s plumbing can have a positive impact on the health of everyone in your household.
- Request a copy of your town’s most recent water report or hire an independent tester to analyze your water. Before you can do anything, you need to know what kinds of substances may be in your water.
- Install a chlorine filter on your showerheads. Eliminating chlorine from your water can ease symptoms of chlorine sensitivity, which include dry skin, itchiness, flaking, rashes and tightness.
- Look into a whole house filtration system that will get rid of chemicals, heavy metals and micro organisms that may be present in the water you use for cooking, bathing, cleaning and drinking. A comprehensive filtration system will also prevent staining and corrosion caused by hard water, and will extend the life of appliances that use water.
- If you live in an area with particularly poor water quality, install an activated charcoal filter or reverse osmosis system. These water purifiers filter out contaminants and make water safer to use.
Green Plumbing and the Environment
Many of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Green plumbing solutions help you do just that. Coincidentally, many of these initiatives can save you money, too.
- Install low-flow fixtures, which can reduce your water consumption by about 60 percent.
- Low-flush toilets are also a great way to restrict unnecessary water usage, saving about 28 gallons of water per person every day.
- Purchase a leak monitoring device that will notify you of leaky faucets, pipes and toilets so you can have the problem taken care of before too much water is wasted.
- Faucet flow reducers are easy to install and can cut water usage by more than 40 percent.
- Replace old appliances with energy efficient models. Dishwashers and washing machines with an Energy Star rating can reduce water use by more than 50 percent.
More About Green Plumbing from Horizon Services...
Monday, February 22, 2010
Green Plumbing at Home
Innovative Plumbing Solutions That Can Save The Earth AND Save You Money!One of the best arguments for making your home green is that a few simple changes can save you lots of money on utility costs. While green plumbing solutions can be a bit more expensive up front, the long-term savings are significant enough to warrant serious consideration of some of the following products.
The gold standard for energy-efficient appliances, electronics, lighting, and yes, even plumbing fixtures, remains the Energy Star label. You can find this designation clearly marked on qualifying products. However, green innovation is an evolving industry and there are lots of exciting new options on the market these days.
Toilets:
Composting toilets do exactly what you think they do. Without water or a septic/sewer connection, these units collect solid waste and convert it to—ahem—organic fertilizer. Worried about the smell? Several companies offer odorless models.
Low flow toilets or dual flush toilets are hot items right now in green home construction and remodeling. They use significantly less water than traditional commodes and dual flush toilets let you choose how much water to use depending on the type of waste you need to dispose of.
Waterless urinals are odorless, hands free devices that use scent-blocking biodegradable chemicals to filter liquid waste and force it down the drain. They claim to be not only cleaner and more environmentally friendly, but also easier and cheaper to maintain.
Showers and Sinks:
Low flow aerators are popular and easy additions to green your faucets. These small metal devices attach directly onto the head of the fixture—no special tools needed—and allow you to adjust the flow of water out of the faucet. The best part is that aerators don’t affect water pressure in the slightest.
Low flow showerheads are similar to aerators—you can modify rate of water flow without sacrificing pressure. There are several models on the market; look for those with non-aerating spray, which can shorten the time it takes for water to heat up and will save energy.
Motion sensor faucets are really popular in new commercial restroom construction. We’ve all used them—put your hand under the faucet and the water comes on; move your hand away and the water shuts off. There are now several models appropriate for residential use.
Water Heaters:
Instant spigots provide hot water on demand, saving energy because water does not have to be kept continuously heated in a storage tank.
Solar water heaters harness the power of the sun’s UV rays—which are completely free, by the way—and convert them to usable energy. There are many different types of solar water heaters out there; a qualified dealer can help you find the one that’s right for you.
Point of use water heaters are actually a series of small tanks only where you need hot water. Rather than store and heat enough water for an entire home’s worth of various uses, these miniature units hold just enough water for a specific task like taking one shower or doing a load of laundry.
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