There are lots of ways to improve your home’s carbon footprint and many reasons for doing so. Minimizing your home’s carbon footprint is essential to following a sustainable and environmentally responsible lifestyle. It promotes conservation, provides resilience to energy price fluctuations, and can even improve your overall health and well-being. One of the best ways to turn your home into a more environmentally friendly structure is to upgrade your plumbing fixtures.
1. Conserve Water
Upgrading the plumbing fixtures in your home can lead to reduced water consumption. This is especially true if you install new high-efficiency fixtures like low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads. All of these fixtures use significantly less water without compromising performance.
2. Save Energy
Upgrading to higher efficiency fixtures also means your home will use less energy, which has a direct impact on the plumbing system. The less energy it uses, the less wear and tear it will endure. Ultimately, this expands the life span of the plumbing system and leads to fewer repairs and replacements.
3. Lower Your Water Bills
You’ll also enjoy lower water bills thanks to the enhanced efficiency of modern plumbing fixtures. Replacing outdated fixtures with today’s highly efficient alternatives makes it possible to reduce your water bill by up to 20% or more. This means that instead of viewing fixture upgrades as a costly expense, you should view them as a wise investment that saves you money in the long run.
4. Positive Environmental Impact
Conserving water with upgraded fixtures helps protect natural resources and reduces the strain that your home places on local water supplies. This positive contribution to environmental sustainability sets a great example for the neighborhood and local community.
5. Increase Property Value
There are several reasons for wanting to improve the property value of your home. For starters, increasing its value can give you larger lines of credit at the bank. It can also allow you to set a higher asking price for the home if you choose to sell it. Many homebuyers carefully consider the fixtures and appliances in a home as part of their decision-making process. To increase the overall value and marketability of your home, you should consider upgrading the fixtures a necessity.
6. Extend Water Heater Life Span
By upgrading the fixtures and using less water, you’ll automatically put less wear and tear on the water heater. Not only does this improve water heater efficiency, but it also expands its life expectancy and results in fewer maintenance issues.
7. Less Strain on the Sewer System
Using less water also means your home will place less strain on the sewer system. By alleviating the load on local sewer systems, you reduce the risk of costly and inconvenient backups and overflows, especially during heavy rainfall.
8. Drought Resilience
Among the contiguous United States, Colorado has the third-highest risk of drought. In fact, droughts of short duration occur in Parker almost every single year. It happens when the average rainfall in a region isn’t enough to meet the needs of the typical population. Fortunately, one of the easiest ways to address drought issues is by upgrading your plumbing fixtures. Having water-efficient fixtures ensures you can maintain essential water use while adhering to any imposed limitations.
9. Government Rebates and Incentives
Another excellent reason to upgrade the fixtures is because there are lots of incentives and rebates to take advantage of. Not only do these financial forms of assistance make it less costly to perform the upgrades, but they also provide long-term benefits thanks to the water conservation that your home will supply to the local community.
How to Take Care of Your Plumbing Fixtures
Now that you understand the many reasons to upgrade your plumbing fixtures, let’s take a look at how to care for them. After all, just like everything else in your home, fixtures require regular care and maintenance to maintain their efficiency and water conservation advantages.
Regular Cleaning
Regularly cleaning the plumbing fixtures helps prevent mineral buildup, grime, and soap scum. Always use nonabrasive cleaners when cleaning the fixtures to avoid damaging surfaces. Ideally, you should clean them anywhere from two to four times a month.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
When cleaning drains, don’t use harsh chemical drain cleaners. If you do, you run the risk of corroding the pipes and damaging the fixtures. In place of harsh chemicals, use natural alternatives. If you come across a clogged drain that you can’t unclog, it’s best to hire a plumber.
Fix Water Leaks
If a fixture is dripping or leaking, you need to have it fixed as soon as possible. Even small leaks can lead to water damage and mold growth as well as the waste of water and increased utility bills.
Don’t Flush Everything
Remember to only flush toilet paper and human waste. To keep your plumbing clear and prevent backups, you shouldn’t flush anything like paper towels, cotton balls, hygiene products, or baby wipes. These items will quickly clog your sewer system, causing backups and potentially expensive maintenance bills.
Avoid Hard Water Damage
Hard water is water with high levels of calcium, magnesium, and other dissolved minerals. Although hard water doesn’t normally cause health concerns, it can have several effects on water quality and plumbing fixtures. There are numerous factors that put homes at risk for hard water, including geological conditions, local water sources, and groundwater movement. If you live in an area that has hard water, consider installing a water softener to reduce mineral deposits on the fixtures.
Keep an Eye on Water Pressure
High water pressure increases the water’s rate of flow. The greater the pressure, the more forcefully the water will try to push its way through the faucet, increasing the likelihood of damage and leaks. To keep this from happening, you should use a pressure gauge and set the pressure at 30 to 40 psi. Most homes’ plumbing systems can handle up to 60 psi, but setting it to a lower pressure minimizes the risk of damaging the fixtures.
Winterize Exterior Fixtures
When you upgrade the fixtures, don’t forget about the ones outside. To take care of your outdoor fixtures, you’ll need to winterize them each year. This involves disconnecting and draining outdoor hoses and covering the outdoor faucets with insulated covers.
Schedule Professional Inspections
The best way to take care of plumbing fixtures is to clean them regularly and schedule maintenance checks once or twice a year. A licensed plumber can thoroughly check the fixtures for wear and tear, fix leaks, and replace damaged parts. This allows you to catch and fix any potential issues before they become major problems.
You have a wide range of options to choose from when upgrading your plumbing fixtures. We highly recommend updating your home with new low-flow toilets, low-flow showerheads, high-efficiency faucets, a tankless water heater, and insulated hot water pipes. You also have gray water, rainwater harvesting, and solar water heater systems to choose from.
If you’re located in Parker, Littleton, or the Denver area and need help deciding which fixtures will benefit your home the most, give us a call at Summit Heating & A/C. We also help homeowners with all types of heating, cooling, and electrical services. Contact us now to improve your home’s carbon footprint with new plumbing fixtures.
