What Can You Do to Make Your Plumbing More Energy Efficient?

One of the most important words globally in this age is 'sustainability'. It is simply efficiently using a resource without destroying it or wasting it. Resources like energy. In our homes, it has increasingly become necessary to adapt to efficient energy usage – particularly in plumbing. While water easily comes to mind, there are more things to conserve. The ripple effect is that you will be contributing to a better, safer world while reducing your utility bills by following these tips about how to make your plumbing more energy efficient.

Room Thermostat

For most homes, setting the temperature is done by a room thermostat which controls the boiler to reach the right room temperature.

If you decrease the preset on your room thermostat by 1c degree, it will make almost no difference to the room temperature, yet you could be saving as much as 10% of your energy bills and moderating the wear and tear boiler.

Also, you may want to ask yourself if the hot water from your hot water cylinder is at the precise temperature or maybe it is a tad too hot. One way to be energy efficient is to ensure that the temperature inside the hot water cylinder is set to be not more than 60c degrees.

Controlling your heating will save you a lot of bucks. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) in plumbing, at allserviceplumbers.com/dana-point, believe that the more control, the greater the savings on money and energy – as much as 17% on the average energy bill.

Switching To A Low-flow Toilet

If you installed your toilet at least ten years ago, it is time to consider switching to the modern low-flow model. It is trite that the toilet is a water guzzler – easily one of the principal consumers of water in a home. Hence, it is necessary, especially in water-scarce areas, to be water efficient. The modern low-flow toilets use much less water than older models – in some cases, reduction in water consumption is from as much as 20% up to 60%.

Yet, low-flow toilets do just as well as older toilets. But while older toilets can use as much as 8 gallons per flush, a low-flow toilet uses as little as 2 gallons per flush. So, though the money may not be much of a big deal here, water conservation may be crucial for persons living in places with too little water.

Insulation Of Your Pipes

Insulation of pipes is a potent process for energy preservation, and it plays a vital role in sustainability. In addition, insulating pipes is usually seen as an approach to eliminating the chances of pipes freezing in the wintertime. However, many do not realize that insulating your pipes comes with more benefits, even in climates that hardly dip below freezing.

It is essential to understand a little bit about the heat transfer process to appreciate insulation benefits. In simple terms: heat moves, and always towards colder areas.

That is, each time the interior of your pipes is warmer than the exterior, some of the inner heat will spread out to make the exterior of your pipes warm as well. What insulation then does is prevent the transfer of heat. Hence, when you insulate your pipes, your water heater will work less to give you hot water. And this saves you money on your power bill.

It is advisable to insulate your cold water pipes as well, and not just to prevent your water from getting warm in the summer. But to prevent corrosion – which can save you a lot on plumbing maintenance.

Replacing Your Faucets And Showerheads With Low-flow Models

Inevitably, your faucets and showerheads will fray, and the water networks, caps, and seals will become loose or corrode. This will lead to leakages and trickles, water damage, and zero efficiency – all of which can multiply your water bill and waste good water. If your faucets and showerheads continue to leak, it is wise to replace them with the modern low-flow types. A low-flow showerhead is energy-efficient and will save you both water and money without compromising your enjoyment of a refreshing shower. On the other hand, low-flow faucets can save you as much as 90 gallons of water every day.

Furthermore, taking daily showers put a significant strain on your water usage. The traditional showerhead releases water at a rate of circa 25 liters per minute, making it a huge consumer of water in the average home. Thus, switching your showerheads with the low-flow type can make a significant difference in your water usage – and cut down your water bill. Low-flow showerheads moderate the amount of water being used without compromising on water pressure.

Solar Water Heater

A substantial amount of money is spent heating water in every home. But with an energy-efficient water heater – like solar water heaters – water itself and the cost of its heating is reduced.

Solar water heaters use solar panels to generate the energy to heat water in place of traditional natural gas and electricity. Solar energy has been developing for a while now, but its usage has become popular in the past five years.

Just like the other energy-efficient options discussed above, solar heaters can also be a very cost-saving way to get hot water for your use. They can be used in every climate, though they are more popular in hot, sunny areas because of the sun – which is free.

In conclusion, the world is becoming more energy conscious every day and in every way. Therefore, it would be good for you to look beyond just your plumbing to other aspects of your home to apply sustainable systems.