Eco-Friendly Plumbing Fixtures Save Water and Energy: Learn How

Saving water and energy is a wise and environmentally conscious move for your budget and the environment. Low-flow plumbing fixtures provide an ideal solution to cut down on water consumption without losing performance. Discover the advantages of water-efficient fixtures, how they stack up against older models and effective strategies to conserve even more water in your daily routine.

How Much Water Can Low-Flow Fixtures Save?

These more efficient plumbing fixtures began picking up traction in the 1990s. The movement was primarily driven by growing awareness of water conservation concerns and our environmental impact. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required maximum flow rates for faucets, showerheads and toilets in the United States, supporting the prompt adoption of a new generation of low-flow plumbing fixtures. This initial legislation set the stage for more efficient faucets and showerheads aimed at reducing water consumption while retaining performance.

Consider how much water low-flow fixtures need compared to their conventional counterparts:

• Faucets: Old faucets flow at about 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm), whereas low-flow faucets reduce to 1.5 gpm or less without weakening the water pressure.
• Showerheads: The old standard for showerheads was 2.5 gpm. Low-flow designs for showerheads reduce water use to 2.0 gpm or less.
• Toilets: Old toilets typically use up to 7 gallons per flush (gpf). On the other hand, the current federal standard maximum is 1.6 gpf, with some dual-flush models needing as few as 1.28 gpf.

The Designs for Low-Flow Plumbing Fixtures

Low-flow fixtures have a few different design options to retain performance while using less water. Here’s how they can do so:

• Aerators: Lots of low-flow faucets and showerheads include aerators, mixing air with water to maintain pressure while still lowering the volume of water used.

• Flow restrictors: Faucets with these devices control the amount of water that moves through the fixture without a significant drop in pressure.

• Dual-flush technology: Many low-flow toilets offer two flush buttons—one for liquid waste using less water, and one that’s larger for solid waste. This fine-tunes water use based on need.

Key Benefits of Eco-Friendly Plumbing Fixtures

Installing low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets provides benefits in numerous ways:

1. Less water waste: The EPA’s Water Sense program has said that you can save 700 gallons of water per year by replacing the traditional faucets in your home with new, low-flow designs.
2. Slashing water bills: Low-flow fixtures lower your monthly utility bills by using less water. In fact, a WaterSense-labeled showerhead can save 4 gallons of water every time you shower, which starts to add up across its service life.
3. Also helps with water heating costs: Using less water for daily chores results in you using less hot water, which means another boost to your savings by helping cut hot water costs.
4. A longer plumbing system life span: Reduced water flow means there’s a much smaller load on your plumbing system, hopefully prolonging its life and decreasing the need for repairs.

Suggestions on How You Can Save Even More Water

While low-flow fixtures are highly effective by themselves, you can go further to conserve water each time you use the plumbing. Here are a few of the most common:

• Take fast showers: Even once you’ve installed low-flow showerheads, you still use more water when you shower for too long. Speeding up your shower time by a minute or two conserves water and lowers energy use.
• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth: Only leave the tap running if you’re actively using it. Once you step away from the sink or spend a couple of minutes to actually brush your teeth, switch off the faucet so you don’t waste water.
• Use dual-flush toilets properly: The dual-flush feature only benefits you if everyone in your household understands how to use it it. Start with the half-flush button for liquid waste and only select the full flush for solid waste. Some handle-flush toilets now have dual-flush functionality. A light flush uses less water, while pressing and holding the handle completes a full flush to wash away solid waste more effectively.
• Never flush trash: Toilets are exclusively designed to accommodate toilet paper and human waste. Flushing any other materials always wastes water and raises the risk of clogs. Do your plumbing a favor by always tossing facial tissues, paper towels, cotton balls and feminine hygiene products in the garbage.
• Take care of leaks promptly: Even low-flow fixtures could eventually leak, wasting more water and lowering efficiency. Spend a few minutes every now and then checking for leaks and address any you find to limit any downtime to your water conservation efforts.

Upgrade to Low-Flow Plumbing Installation Today

Ready to cut your water usage and save more money at the same time? Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is here to help! We install efficient low-flow faucets, showerheads and toilets to support water and energy conservation. With our 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can depend on us to follow through on the promise of quality products and services you need. The moment you’re ready to upgrade your plumbing fixtures or just need a few more water conservation tips, please contact us today.