Renovating your home can improve its overall resale value and provide more comfort and convenience for you. One popular concern that many homeowners have when renovating is making their homes more sustainable for the future. A household system that you should focus on is your plumbing system.
Low-Flow Fixtures
One great way that you can bring more sustainability to your plumbing system is to invest in low-flow fixtures. These are available for faucets and showers where special aerators mix air with the water to create the same amount of pressure you’re used to while reducing your water consumption significantly. When you’re using less water in your household, you can have peace of mind that you’re not only lowering your utility bills but also being more eco-friendly.
High-Efficiency Toilets
Along the same line as reducing water consumption with low-flow fixtures, you can also upgrade your toilets to use less water. If your existing toilet is over 40 years old, it’s likely using anywhere between five and seven gallons of water every time you flush it. The standard for modern-day toilets is 1.6 gallons per flush. You can take it further and buy a high-efficiency toilet that only uses 1.28 gallons per flush. These toilets still provide you with the same flushing power while reducing your water usage.
Hot Water Recirculation System
Almost all homeowners are familiar with the dreaded cold water that comes out of your hot water spigot for the first few seconds until the hot water from your water heater reaches your faucet. Unfortunately, if your water heater is pretty far away from the particular plumbing fixture that you’re using, you could be wasting a lot of water waiting for it to warm up in temperature.
A hot water recirculation system can be a great investment that continually circulates the water in all your hot water lines to your water heater so that it’s nice and hot whenever you turn on the faucet. This can save you from wasting excess water each time you want hot water at your faucet.
Motion Sensor Fixtures
Another great addition to any sustainable household is motion sensor plumbing fixtures. These fixtures will turn on whenever they sense motion underneath them. Then, they’ll turn off once they no longer sense movement. This automatic action is great for shutting off the water hygienically and is super convenient for reducing water consumption. For example, if you tend to leave the water running while you’re brushing your teeth because you forget to shut it off, a motion sensor plumbing faucet will take care of shutting it off for you.
Tankless Water Heater
Apart from reducing your water consumption, you might also consider reducing your plumbing system’s energy consumption. One of the best ways to reduce energy usage is to upgrade your outdated water heater. If you still rely on a tank-style water heater, you could be spending between 30% and 50% more per year running that water heater than you would if you switch to a tankless water heater system. Tankless water heaters only heat up water as you need it instead of heating water continuously in a storage tank.
ENERGY STAR Appliances
It’s pretty standard practice to purchase new appliances as part of a home renovation project. When it comes to appliances that use water in your home, like your washing machine and dishwasher, you want to pay special attention to their water efficiency rating. Appliances that have an ENERGY STAR rating are going to use significantly less water and energy than those appliances that don’t have that rating.
Solar Power
If you really want to dive into boosting the overall sustainability of your home during your next renovation project, you may want to consider adding solar. Solar panels can be a great way to generate power for all your water-using appliances, like your water heater. You may even want to consider investing in a battery for energy storage so that you can continue to use the excess energy that you produce during the daytime to power your appliances during the overnight hours.
Smart Irrigation Systems
Scheduling an upgrade to a smart irrigation system for your household during your next renovation project just makes sense if you currently rely on an irrigation system, and it can make a big difference in your eco-footprint. These systems have built-in leak detection that can alert you via a message on your smartphone or other wireless device whenever there is a leak in your system. Many come integrated with smart valves that automatically turn off the water supply to that location to prevent excessive water leakage.
Because irrigation systems run under the ground’s surface, you might not notice a leak until you get a very high water bill that you can’t explain. Additionally, smart irrigation systems tend to integrate with local weather technology, so they can adjust their watering schedule based on the weather in your area. For example, if you get a lot of rain during the day, your smart irrigation system may opt not to water at all during that time because your soil already received adequate moisture.
Graywater Recycling
All the water that comes out of your appliances, sinks, showers, and other drains is considered to be graywater. Conversely, water coming from your toilets is considered black water. Graywater can easily be recycled for outdoor use. Things like watering your garden or lawn can simply be done with the help of a graywater recycling system at your home. This will significantly reduce your outdoor water consumption while getting more out of the water that you use.
Pipe Insulation
One great way to boost the overall efficiency of your plumbing system without having to spend a ton of money is to invest in insulation. All the water lines running throughout your home should have insulation on them. This not only protects them from freezing in the wintertime but also helps your hot water lines retain more heat as they travel to your plumbing fixtures. Don’t forget about insulating your water heater so that it can retain more of its heat and reduce its energy usage.
PEX Piping
Replacing existing lines is pretty common during the renovation process as they’re going to be exposed and easy to access anyway. While there are different plumbing materials out there to use, one that’s considered very sustainable is PEX piping. PEX is very flexible and requires fewer fittings to run throughout your home. With other materials like copper, you need to have a fitting to move the pipe slightly over. Furthermore, PEX isn’t susceptible to rusting.
Expert Plumbing Installation Service
Hope Plumbing offers expert plumbing installation and repair service to the Indianapolis, IN area. Our plumbers can also help with all your inspection, replacement, and maintenance needs as well as installing new upgrades and replacement products, including faucets and toilets. Simply call our office staff today to schedule your next service appointment.
