Turn Your Plumbing System Green!

Taking part in the “green movement” entails recycling and reusing in an effort to help protect the environment. It also means you should conserve. Limiting the amount of water you use and turning extra lights off are good first steps. But there’s even more that you can do to help Mother Nature and reduce the amount of water you waste!

In 1994, the National Energy Policy Act was passed in the United States. It set standards on all plumbing fixtures forcing them to become more water and energy efficient. (In Canada, their regulations are different and, in some cases, not as strict.) So, if your home was constructed before ‘94, it’s highly likely that it is drastically behind these new regimented standards!

Making the move to a “Green Plumbing System” is easy! Below you can find a list of home improvements and products that a Green Screened plumbing contractor can provide to get your home up to today’s standards or better! Some of these improvements and products greatly reduce the amount of water and energy you use on a daily basis; others help filtrate out pollutants and contaminants, so you can enjoy cleaner water.

Here are several ways you can “Go Green and Save Green”:

Eliminate leaks and drippy faucets

Leaks waste massive amounts of water and money. A small leak of just one drip per second can cost you $1 per month. Imagine if you have multiple leaks that you don’t know about or can’t see! You could be wasting hundreds of dollars each year in squandered water! For example, a single leaky toilet can waste tens of thousands of gallons in one year—enough to fill a backyard swimming pool! And according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 20-40% of all toilets leak!

Install water- and fuel-efficient Aerators

Faucets installed prior to 1994 use an excessive amount of water compared to today’s models. An aerator can be installed in a faucet and cut waste by 25%.

Install water- and fuel-efficient Faucets

Rather than opting for an aerator, you could have a brand new faucet installed. New faucets can reduce your water waste by as much as 50%.

Install water- and fuel-efficient Showerheads

Like faucets, showerheads installed before 1994 also use more water than is necessary. New high-efficiency showerheads can reduce your water waste by as much as 60%!

Install water- and fuel-efficient Toilets

On average, toilets use approximately 30% of every home’s water supply making it the single highest indoor water consumer. However, toilets installed prior to 1994 use twice as much water; toilets installed before 1980 use almost fives times more! A new toilet can save at least 3,400 gallons of water per year.

Install water- and fuel-efficient InstaHots

As much as 25% of every dollar you spend on energy goes towards heating water. To reduce that consumption, you can have an InstaHot installed at one or more faucets. InstaHots produce hot water immediately, which could reduce your water consumption by more than 300 gallons per month.

Install a water- and fuel-efficient Hot Water Recirculation System

When you turn on your faucet and wait for hot water, it can take minutes to get to your desired temperature, because cold water sits in your plumbing lines. A recirculating heat pump keeps the water in your lines constantly moving in and out of your water heater, so it never gets cold. You will always have hot water at your disposal! A recirculating heat pump can save 15,000 gallons of water a year and only uses the same amount of electricity as a 40-Watt bulb.

Install efficient Tankless or Solar Water Heaters

Water heaters are the third largest energy users in every home! If your water heater is more than 10 years old, it’s inefficient and burning up more energy and using more water than necessary! Today, water heaters come in an assortment of styles from the traditional gas and electric to tankless and solar. All water heaters today can reduce water and energy consumption. Some, like Solar water heaters, can reduce it by 33-51%!.

Install a point-of-use or whole-house water filtration system

More and more chemicals and pollutants are finding their way into lakes, ponds, and rivers. Not only is this bad for the environment; these contaminants are seeping into drinking water supplies. Today, there are a number of filtration systems being produced to eliminate those impurities. They come in both point-of-use models, which can be attached to just one faucet, or you can have a whole-house system installed.


Use biodegradable cleaners to keep your drains free of build-up

Showers and sinks often drain slowly or clog. In the past, harsh chemicals were used to clear the blockage, but those are bad for the environment. Today, there are biodegradable cleaners that can eliminate blockages and keep your pipes open. These cleaners are made from natural products and are safe for the environment.

Coat your main plumbing lines with an epoxy

Eventually, every home’s main plumbing lines will need to be replaced. Unfortunately, most people find they need to be replaced after they’ve broken and created a major problem. To eliminate this problem, the interior of plumbing lines can be coated with an epoxy. The epoxy adheres and hardens to the inside surface of the pipe. The epoxy improves the quality of the water in your home, and it can add 50 years to the pipe’s life! That means the pipe won’t be found in a landfill anytime soon.

Discover how you can take part in saving the environment and improve the cleanliness of our water system—call a Green Screened plumbing contractor! They can provide you with a FREE Home Conservation Evaluation, which includes a Water Wasted Audit and a Healthy Water Check.