If your home doesn’t have water and energy saving toilets, you are flushing water down the drain with every trip to the bathroom. And if your bathroom or kitchen does not have a water saving faucet, money is going down the drain every time you wash your hands, brush your teeth, or wash the dishes. But no one wants to suffer with low water pressure. Luckily, today’s water saving and efficient plumbing fixtures save water without compromising on performance. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense program labels plumbing fixtures for efficiency and performance. WaterSense labeled low flow fixtures are verified to perform “as well or better than their less efficient counterparts.”Here is how you can save money and energy by switching to efficient plumbing:
Toilets That Save Water
According to the EPA, toilets account for over 25% of a typical household’s water use. High efficiency toilets are a great way to cut down on household water use without compromising on performance. If your current toilet was purchased before 1994 or uses more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, there are many better options available today. Energy saving toilets:
- Ultra Low Flush and High Efficiency Toilets use less then 1.28 gallons per flush
- Dual Flush Toilets can save even more water by using less water (0.8 gallons-1.1 gallons) for liquid waste and 1.6 gallons for solid waste
- Urinals are an increasingly popular water saving option. According to Kohler, waterless urinals can save 40,000 gallons of water per fixture per year.
Showerheads: Excellent Performance, Less Water
Some people are reluctant to switch to low flow showerheads because they have had bad experiences with older, low-flow showerheads that lacked water pressure and performance. Today’s high-efficiency showerheads combine water savings with high performance.
An added benefit of using high-efficiency showerheads is that they also reduce home energy costs by using less hot water. The EPA estimates that the average family use 370 kilowatt hours less of electricity annually. That amount of energy could power a house for 13 days, just by switching a showerhead. Inefficient/old showerheads typically used more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (GPM). High efficiency showerheads use 2GPM or less.
Next-Gen, High Efficiency Faucets
A high efficiency, water saving faucet only uses 1.5GPM vs. old, inefficient faucets that use 2.5 GPM or more. Another option to save water is to put an aerator on your current faucet. To save money, replace the faucets in your home that get the most use first, like the faucet in the kitchen and main bathroom.
Efficient Plumbing Fixtures Save Money and Preserve Water
Switching out old, inefficient plumbing fixtures for new, high efficient plumbing fixtures is an inexpensive way to save on utilities verses purchasing a new washing machine or hot water heater.
In addition to saving money, installing efficient plumbing and reducing water use helps protect the community’s water supplies. According to the EPA, less then 1% of the earth’s water is available for human use. Water is our most vital resource and low flow fixtures are a great way to save water without compromising performance.
