Tips for Greener Plumbing to Save You Money
Everybody could stand to be a little more environmentally friendly, and in the process you usually save some money! Green plumbing will save you money on your water bill and cut down on unnecessary waste in the process. Here are a few ways to implement green plumbing in your home:
Insulating pipes
If pipes in exterior walls are uninsulated, they may be susceptible to heat loss as they travel through your home. Insulating your pipes will cut down on water waste by reducing the amount of time you have to wait for warm water, and reduce energy costs from your water tank heater.
Removing exterior pipes
In the same vein as number one, removing any pipes outside of insulated and air-conditioned spaces will reduce the amount of heat loss as water travels through pipes because they are not exposed to cold weather. This reduces the time you have to let water run waiting for it to heat up, and will run your water heater less.
On-demand hot water circulation pumps
On-demand hot water pumps circulate hot water as needed, in seconds. This means two things will happen: one, hot water won't sit in pipes unused and two, you won't have to leave water running while waiting for it to heat up.
Tankless water heaters
Tankless water heaters eliminate heat loss and water waste associated with traditional water heaters by heating water only when needed. These water heaters are only used when you turn on the hot water, so energy use is cut down, as well as not allowing for water to sit and cool in a tank, saving water.
New water heaters
New water heaters are designed to reduce energy use. They work by efficiently using the combustion process that heats water so that as much heat as possible is extracted from the process. Heating water accounts for 15% of most household energy use and new heaters help to cut this number down.
