When deciding to go ahead on a bathroom remodeling project, one of the most important aspects is the initial design phase. It is most commonly accepted that you can save money on the labor and materials. One area, that is often not considered, however, is the installation of eco-friendly ideas. Not only do you save money on the eco-friendly fittings but also on the energy saved. This also has a benefit to the environment.
Nowadays, we all have an obligation into protecting our limited resources which can be achieved along with saving some of the money in our pockets. Although it is often thought that the latest eco-friendly designs are more expensive there are still ways to save. Most governments now have initiatives such as home insulation and recycling programs where you can recoup some of the cost for the materials and items you have bought.
Water usage is one of the big areas that we can make a difference. There are quite a number of ways that we can limit our water use, such as limiting the amount of time we spend under the shower. There are plumbing fixtures we can incorporate into the bathroom to help reduce water use. The following is some ideas on how to reduce energy costs and protect the environment in your bathroom makeover project.
Toilet Flushing: You might be amazed to learn that flushing the toilet uses around twenty of gallons of water per person per day, on average. A dual flush or low flush toilet can help in almost halving the amount of water used.
Shower Head: Showering can use up to around thirteen gallons per day. As mentioned earlier, spending less time in the shower will reduce loss, but installing a low flow shower head can help reduce this amount even more. You can test your shower head by running the shower for two minutes and collecting all the water in a five gallon bucket. If the water overflows then you do not have a low flow head.
Heating The Water: A water heater does not need to be running all day. Just by turning it off at night, and over weekends, you can make huge savings over the year. This will depend on how much water you use though. Installing an automatic timer can help you with this goal.
Following these few tips can help bring your bathroom up to date as well as helping the environment and putting some extra savings in your pocket.
Jane writes on small bathroom remodeling and gives advice about bathroom remodeling on a small budget.
Tags: bathroom, bathroom design, bathroom remodeling, bathroom renovation, eco-friendly design, environmental design, Home, home improvements, low flow shower head, low flush toilet, shower head, water conservation, water saving
