Planning an Eco-Friendly Bathroom

Saving money is at the top of everyone’s list, and for good reason. Simply using the appliances and fixtures in your home can crank up the bills without you even realizing it, and the weekly gasps and incredulous ‘we spent HOW much?’ expressions at the charges incurred get old…quickly. Thankfully, there are a few changes you can make just by swapping these elements out that will instantly make a difference in your monthly statement.

We’re going to take a look at how swapping out the components in just one room – the bathroom – can make a difference.

On top of the extra money you’ll pocket, making the jump to eco-friendly things in your bathroom, you’ll also be reducing the amount of energy and waste you’d usually cause just from daily use. But if you’d rather skip the appliance-swapping and pull the trigger on a full-scale remodeling of your bathroom, Always Plumbing & Heating has expert plumbers at the ready to help you turn your bathroom into an efficiency wonderland.

Low-flow Toilets

• While low-flow toilets have been around for a while, they weren’t efficient at all when they broke onto the scene; they usually required multiple flushes to completely get rid of everything. Now, as technology has progressed and the designs have gotten more refined, they’re a perfectly viable option. Traditional toilets use anywhere from 3.5-7 gallons of water per flush, and that can add up quickly – especially if you’ve got a bigger household. A family of four that switches to low-flow toilets can save an average of 22,000 gallons of water per year, and you’ll notice the difference.

…And Showerheads

• Swapping out your regular showerheads for low-flow models can also be a good way to cut down on the hot-water usage in your home. A shower typically pumps out 5-8 gallons/minute, while low-flow showerheads whittle that down to 2.5/minute – saving you water and energy. Getting one with a filter to screen out hard water is another easy way to help you out.

Motion-sensing Faucets

• It might not seem like a lot, but the water you waste in the time it takes you to turn a faucet on and off adds up over time. A motion-sensing faucet ensures water is only being expelled when your hands – or toothbrush, or whatever – are in front of it.

LED Bulbs

• Enough about water. Let’s talk lights. Traditional halogen bulbs are powerful, sure, but they’re also more expensive to power day in and day out because of that. You’ve also got to replace them much more frequently. LED bulbs last longer, they’re less prone to breaking, and they use 80 percent less energy.

Picking Perfect Paint

• If you’re going to, say, remodel a bathroom, consider the type of paint you’re going to use. Some paints have low-volatile organic compounds (VOC), and as a result they’re less toxic. It’s not much, but it’s just one more simple way you can make sure you’re doing what you can to create a greener bathroom.

Even swapping out just a few of your bathroom elements for the ones we mentioned above can make a huge difference, both in your wallet and in the environment — you can feel good about what you’re doing in more ways than one!

Always Heating & Plumbing’s experts are equipped to oversee an entire bathroom renovation from start to finish, if you’d rather just do it all in one fell swoop. We offer plenty of makes and models in low-flow toilets, showerheads, sinks and tubs, and we’d be thrilled to help you pick out your dream bathroom. Give us a call at 780-489-8118 (Edmonton) or 587-601-1253 (Fort McMurray) today!