Green Products Save Resources and Money
Water costs are constantly on the rise and finding ways to conserve and, in some cases, reuse water, is extremely important. With this increase in cost, plumbing products that decrease water use without compromising your family’s day-to-day activities are essential to saving money in the long term. For example, new smart dishwashers integrate technology that recycles water from the rinse cycle for the next wash. By meeting higher energy-efficiency standards and saving you water, an average family who washes dishes four times per week could save 700 gallons of water each year!
Home automation technology that automatically shuts off sprinkler systems based on weather reports can also help you save water. Restricting aerators installed on sink faucets and showers will also help you reduce water consumption. Low flow and ultra-low flow versions of your favorite plumbing fixtures will save you even more water use. In addition, there are also dual-flush toilets that have two levers – one for urine and one for solid waste. These new plumbing technologies should be installed by a professionally licensed plumbing company.
Another eco-friendly product that continues to gain popularity is the tankless water heater. Heating and keeping hot water hot consumes a large amount of energy for both homes and commercial buildings. Tankless water heaters provide constant hot water along with significant energy savings. On average, tankless water heaters use about 20 percent less energy than their traditional storage-type counterparts.
If you are applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for your building, such environmentally friendly plumbing could help you meet requirements in several point categories, including materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, water efficiency, sustainability and innovation in design. Reusing greywater (water that goes down the sink or shower drain) for other purposes such as flushing the toilet, is another water-saving innovation. Once installed, a greywater system can save a significant amount of money. However this is one area where a professionally licensed plumber is absolutely necessary as setting up the system can be somewhat complicated.
