It’s St. Patrick’s Day so a lot of people are “thinking green” today.
One of the best ways to “go green” in your home is to upgrade your appliances to models that save on water and energy with these Green Plumbing Trends. Like those with an Energy Star Rating. Here are a few ways that you can save the Earth and save money.
Green Plumbing and the Shower
A 10-minute shower can use less water than a full bath. With a new 2.5 gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head, a 10-minute shower will use about 25 gallons of water, saving you 5 gallons of water over a typical bath. A new showerhead also will save energy (up to $145 each year on electricity). This beats out both the bath and an old-fashioned showerhead.
Green Plumbing and Your Dishwasher
Rinsing dirty dishes before loading your dishwasher uses a lot of water and energy. Most dishwashers today can thoroughly clean dishes that have had food scraped, rather than rinsed, off — the wash cycle and detergent take care of the rest. To make the most efficient use of your dishwasher’s energy and water consumption, run the dishwasher only when enough dirty dishes have accumulated for a full load.
Replacing an old dishwasher? Appliances account for about 12% of your energy bill. Newer, more energy-efficient models save energy and water. If replacing your dishwasher, consider an ENERGY STAR model, which can save energy and water.
Green Plumbing and the Laundry Room
The average American family washes about 300 loads of laundry each year. ENERGY STAR can help families cut their related energy and water costs. ENERGY STAR certified clothes washers use about 20% less energy and 35% less water than regular washers. They also have a greater tub capacity which means you can wash fewer loads to clean the same amount of laundry. They are available in front-load and top-load models.
Get this—if every clothes washer purchased in the U.S. this year earned the ENERGY STAR, we would save 540 million kWh of electricity, 20 billion gallons of water, and 1.4 trillion BTUs of natural gas every year, resulting in energy bill savings of about $250 million, every year.
Upgrading to energy-efficient appliances is a great way to save water, energy and money. If you want to learn more about upgrading your appliances, contact the experts at Ben Franklin Plumbing AZ today.
From energystar.gov
