Going Green? Don't Forget The Plumbing

Going Green? Don’t Forget the Plumbing ​

 

 

Going green doesn’t stop with your energy use. There are many ways that homeowners and businesses can be more efficient, including green plumbing solutions. Green plumbing is a new way to conserve energy related to water use. Water usage is connected to energy use for many applications—from pool pumps to hot water heaters, and more.

What is Green Plumbing?

As the world trends towards a more sustainable way of life, people are looking for all kinds of ways to be environmentally friendly in how they live and work. Green plumbing means developing your plumbing system to maximize efficiency in water use, and in the energy used to heat or treat your water. Using less water and less energy is a big bonus for those looking for green plumbing solutions.

Inefficient Plumbing

Most would be surprised at how inefficient the typical bathroom is, especially to find out that a toilet could use as much as six gallons of water with every flush. Variable flow toilets have been on the rise, offering a big water savings of less than two gallons per flush, but it is still not the norm everywhere. 

Heating and Cooling with Less

When it comes to hot water, most turn to the tankless water heater, gas or electric, that creates hot water on demand so you’re never heating more than you need.

Percentage of Water Used in the Average Home Of all the water used in the home:

• 26.7% goes to toilets
• 21.7% to laundry
• 16.8% for showers
• 15.7% from faucets

Knowing where you use the most energy and water can help you find ways to make your plumbing eco-friendlier. 

Getting Your Energy Bill Out of Hot Water

Heating water is a big energy cost and how you heat it can also affect how much water you use. 

Solar Powered Water Heaters

A solar powered water heater is the best option for a green plumbing hot water option and can make your home or business even more efficient. They also reduce the stress on the electric grid, helping to save associated costs and emissions. 

Electric Water Heaters

Electricity heats water very efficiently, but it can take a while, using even more energy and potentially even more water. Like running a hot water faucet until it heats up with an electric heater or tankless water heater is going to result in a lot of cold water down the drain until the unit heats up. 

Tankless Gas Water Heaters

By heating up just the water you need to use, gas powered tankless heaters can be an efficient option as well, but capacity is limited and your fuel costs are tied to your electric company’s fuel rates. They also take a long time to heat the water, though are generally faster than electric. 

There’s more to green plumbing that we can explore to help you save water, energy and costs. Our goal is to design your plumbing systems and augment your existing systems in an environmentally friendly way that protects our natural resources and your wallet. 

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