Keeping utility bills in check is always a good idea for helping the family budget. In addition to things like weatherproofing your home and having your heating system serviced, you can also make some changes to your plumbing that will save energy and water. The savings are easy to see, and the bigger the savings, the easier it is to justify the improvements. Here are five upgrades you can consider.
1. Installing Low-Flow Fixtures
Shower heads, faucets, and commodes have all improved in the last several years. The old models typically maximized performance by using a lot of water. This was often the only option because many homes had lower incoming water pressure from the municipal line, and also because quite a few homes were still fed by lower pressure originating from pumps connected to cisterns or wells.
With more homes on city water with better pressure levels, it has become possible to make these fixtures more efficient. Modern designs have shifted the thinking from volume to pressure. These new systems use smaller openings that concentrate the force of the water and provide equal or better performance to those old models while using much less water.
Sometimes, just using a lot of water isn’t enough. You need higher pressure that can do the work faster. In the case of faucets and showerheads, the idea is to help you rinse away that soap or shampoo as quickly as possible, while high-efficiency commodes are designed to clear the bowl with a smaller tank. Not only will you have a smaller water bill, but you’ll also use less energy because you’ll use less hot water.
2. Switching to an On-Demand Water Heater
Speaking of hot water, there are better ways to make it hot than the traditional tank water heater. It doesn’t make sense for your home to hold 40 or 50 gallons of hot water all the time when it won’t be needed. It takes a lot of electricity or gas to maintain an appropriate temperature in your water heater while you may be sleeping or even out of town.
In addition, some of your fixtures may be so far away from your water heater that they never get hot enough to suit you. You may also have a specialized feature like a hot tub that will require more water than your traditional water heater can provide, which makes it a perfect candidate for its own tankless heater.
On-demand water heaters install near the fixtures and produce hot water as soon as the hot tap or handle is opened. The unit quickly produces the hot water and supplies it for your use, then shuts off as soon as you finish using it. It doesn’t store hot water or produce a single drop that is not needed. Our experienced plumbers can help you determine if this is the right solution for you and handle your water heater installation from start to finish.
3. Updating to New, Efficient Appliances
New appliances are a big investment, and you’ll probably only buy them when you know that you can justify the cost. Poor performance and frequent breakdowns are obvious reasons for upgrading, but you can also add wasted water and energy to the list to help tip the scales in favor of new appliances.
Like old faucets and showerheads, old appliances relied more heavily on using lots of water instead of using that water in a targeted way. Your washing machine, dishwasher, and other appliances are probably pretty wasteful if they have been around for quite a few years. Replacing them will save you money in two ways. They will do so by cutting back the amount of water that you commit to those functions and by reducing the amount of hot water required to get things clean and sanitary.
For example, a high efficiency washing machine can use 40% to 60% less water and 50% to 60% less energy per load. The average family uses about 5,600 gallons of water per year, so if your new washer can slash that down to 3,000 gallons while also reducing your gas or electric consumption, you can see that it won’t take long for the savings to add up!
4. Managing Water and Energy With Smart Systems
Almost any home system can be managed remotely these days. Lights, doorbells, alarms, and much more are under the control of apps right in your phone. Your appliances can be the same way, and if you make the change to smart systems for your plumbing fixtures, then you’ll find some great ways to save money.
We already mentioned how wasteful it is to have a water heater producing hot water when no one is using it. With a smart water heater, you can not only tell the water heater to hold off on heating up but even manage the temperature settings for those times when you do need hot water. This keeps you from wasting energy heating up water that ends up getting mixed with cool water by the user. This makes it easy to experiment with different settings and get the temperature right where you want it.
Your app can also notify you of drops in pressure, which signal that you may have a leak that needs to be addressed. You can save a lot of water and energy by correcting a dripping hot water tap that no one notices, so smart systems can really pay off.
5. Adding Water Recirculation Pumps
We’ve all had the experience of standing at a tub or a sink with the hot tap wide open, waiting for the cold water to clear out of the line and let the hot water flow. It’s a waste of both time and water, but there was never much we could do about it until recirculation systems came into use.
The idea is very simple. Instead of letting that cold water inflate your water bill as it goes down the drain, a recirculation system attached to the hot water line monitors its temperature. As long as the water passing through is cold, the system diverts it back to your water heater to refill it. Once the system detects that your water has reached a usable temperature, it stops diverting and allows the water to flow to the faucet or showerhead. It’s a brilliant piece of technology that can save a lot of water, especially at fixtures that are located far from the water heater.
Start Saving Today!
We all want to get our utility bills under control, and your plumbing can be one of the biggest users of electricity or gas as well as water. Our team at Mend Services has years of experience helping homeowners like you throughout the Austin, TX area with all their plumbing services needs as well as with repair and installation of electrical and HVAC systems. We can help you get in front of your utility bills with some upgrades to your plumbing systems. Give us a call today to start saving on your utility bills!
