Every dollar in your budget counts and water waste in your home can lead to unnecessarily high water bills. Small changes to your plumbing can lead to major savings on your utility bills though. With our simple plumbing fixture updates, you can avoid water waste in your home and save money.
Install Low Flow Shower Heads
Standard showerheads use anywhere from 2.5 to 4 gallons of water per minute depending on how old the fixture is. A low flow shower head usually uses about 2 gallons per minute which means that you could potentially cut the hot water your shower is using in half. Cutting your hot water usage will save water with the added benefit of saving you money on your energy bills as well.
Replace Your Sink Faucets with WaterSense Labeled Fixtures
WaterSense fixtures use a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute which can save 30% or more over a conventional fixture. All WaterSense fixtures are independently certified to make sure that they meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria so you can rest assured that the money you spend upgrading your fixtures is an investment in future savings on your water bill.
Switch to Low Flow Aerators
If replacing your entire fixture is more of an investment than you’re ready for right now, then switching to low flow aerators is a good halfway measure. Your faucet aerator is the small piece that screws onto the end of the faucet. Designs will vary, but it should look similar to the one pictured here. You can replace your standard aerator with a low flow one for less than five dollars and the potential water savings will quickly make up for the cost.
Fix Leaking Pipes and Faucets
A dripping faucet or a small leak in a pipe may not seem like a big deal, but over the course of even a single year, you could be wasting hundreds or even thousands of gallons per year. This drip calculator illustrates just how wasteful a leaking faucet can be. Fixing a leaking faucet is often as simple as replacing washers inside the fixture, but a leaky pipe might involve a little more work or require replacing entire sections of pipe. If you ever feel like a job is out of your skill range, enlist the help of a professional. The last thing you want is a worse leak later because of poor repair work.
Switch to a New Water Efficient Toilet
If your toilet was manufactured before 1994, then it is likely wasting a lot of water. The Energy Policy Act of 1994 outlined new guidelines for efficiency across a wide range of fuel sources and water using appliances, including toilets. New WaterSense toilets use as little as 1.3 gallons per flush. Compare this to older inefficient toilets that can use anywhere from 3.5-7 gallons per flush and you could be saving a lot of water yearly which means lower bills for you. New efficient toilets also recieve high customer satisfaction ratings meaning that you don’t have to worry about flushing power or cleanliness with a new low flush toilet.
Need Help Updating Your Plumbing Fixtures? Call Pann Home Services & Remodeling!
If you’re aren’t as DIY inclined as you’d like to be don’t sweat it! Our plumbers here at Pann Home Services and Remodeling are experts at installing new water efficient plumbing fixtures and can take care of any job. For dependable same day and emergency service give us a call at 800-286-5959
