Excessive use of water. Wasting paper. These are not phrases we usually associate with the bathroom. But in truth, the bathroom tends to be one of the least eco-friendly spaces in the home. Where water runs freely and cleaning products are abundant, your bathroom is a prime candidate for greener options. Consider these eco-friendly bathroom ideas to help you save water and energy.
Get a low-flow toilet
Toilets use about a quarter of the water in your home. They’re water hogs and they need to be stopped. If your toilet is very old, it’s probably a huge water-waster. Some of these culprits can use as much as 7 gallons per flush! The good news is, manufacturers are now making very efficiency toilets that still provide all of the features you need while limiting water usage. It’s possible to get a toilet that uses less than a gallon, sometimes more.
In fact, a dual-flush toilet is quickly becoming all the rage. It employs two levers for flushing. One lever uses less than a gallon and is only designed to flush liquids. When there’s liquid and solid matter to flush, you use the other lever, which uses a bit more water to adequately remove the waste. Over time, the money you save on flushes will add up.
Install a more efficient showerhead
Sure, you can take a shorter shower, but there’s a better way to manage water usage in the shower. It’s by installing a showerhead that limits water flow. That way, you can take a longer shower when you need to, without the guilt.
A low-flow showerhead helps you save in more ways than one. You won’t just cut down on the amount of water used during showers, but the device also limits the amount of water your heater will have to warm up.
Use low-flow faucets
Washing your hands, cleaning your face, shaving – these are just a few of the activities families routinely perform in front of the sink, while letting the water run. It’s easy to manage these wasteful activities by installing a low-flow faucet. The device attaches to your faucet and prevents the full flow of water from being released. Instead, you’ll still get enough water to perform hygiene activities, without paying through the nose for it.
Another option is to install a motion sensor faucet, similar to the ones installed in many commercial settings like in malls or restaurants. This way, when you wave your hands in front of the faucet, the water will turn on. If you’re shaving and don’t need the water running, it’ll shut off.
Install an instant heater
It’s possible to install a point-of-application water heater underneath the sink cabinet or in the bathroom closet that supplies water to the bathroom’s shower and sink and delivers huge savings. This nifty device heats water on demand. Instead of holding a body of water at a certain temperature like a standard water heater does — and results in lots of waste — an instantaneous unit heats the water only when you turn on the hot water faucet. As a result, you’ll save a lot of money on water-heating bills, without sacrificing any comfort.
There are other ways you can green the bathroom. In addition to installing water-saving showerheads and faucets, using an instant heater or dual-flush toilet, consider swapping out inefficient lightbulbs for high-performance ones and installing an energy-efficiency ventilation system. You’ll see the payoff on your water and energy bills and be able to use your bathroom without any guilt.
