Over time, green plumbing appliances have become more popular. In fact, since the introduction of many water-efficient devices, Americans have saved billions of gallons of water. If you still feel on the fence about the savings that you can see from green plumbing appliances, learn about how much waste they prevent. You’ll likely discover that the most water-efficient fixtures will help your water bills and the planet more than you think.
Water Savings from High-Efficiency Toilets
High-efficiency toilets (HETs) use less water per flush. Since 2006, Americans have cut water waste from toilets by 757 billion gallons simply by using HETs. For your home, switching to HETs in all your home’s bathrooms can save 20% to 60% water per flush, or 13,000 gallons of water annually. This could mean saving $140 each year on water bills.
Water Savings from Green Plumbing Faucets
Standard bathroom faucets have a flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute. However, the most efficient faucets reduce the water used by 30%. Just swapping your existing faucets with these greener options saves enough water over the year to take 45 showers.
An added benefit of using faucets with lower flow rates is the reduced strain on water heaters. Whenever you use hot water, the water heater tank sends heated water to the faucet. Then, it will refill the tank with cold water that is must use energy to heat. The less hot water you use, the less your water heater will have to work to heat freshwater.
Greener Showers with Water-Efficient Showerheads
The average showerhead uses 2.5 gallons per minute, whereas water-efficient models use no more than 2 gallons a minute. If you take a single 10-minute shower, with a conventional shower head, you will use 25 gallons, but you will save 20% of that amount by using a water-efficient showerhead, only 20 gallons of water. For an average family of four, changing to water-efficient showers could save the equivalent of 88 loads of laundry or 2,700 gallons a year.
When combining green plumbing products together, you can maximize your savings. In fact, replacing an old toilet, showerhead, and faucet in the most used bathroom could pay for itself in water savings after just a year.
Schedule a Visit from Plumbing Concepts to Upgrade to Green Plumbing Fixtures in Your Home
If you want to upgrade to green plumbing fixtures in your bathroom or throughout your home, contact us at Plumbing Concepts. We can install green living products or make repairs to restore the efficiency of your existing plumbing fixtures. Phone us at (951) 520-8590 to schedule your appointment with one of our plumbers.
