Your average North American uses anywhere from 80 gallons to 100 gallons of water everyday, and as a result, the hydro bill can sometimes seem astronomical. Even if you don’t grimace at how much money you pay for these bills, you’ll be surprised by the amount of money you can save every year if you pick up the phone, call a plumber, and make these a few upgrades to your plumbing.
This article contains some plumbing advice that can save you money in the long run – just call a plumber and try installing these three, easy upgrades.
Tankless Water Heater
Everyone has experienced it at least once, and some even deem it a regular annoyance when they are bathing or showering and the water begins to run cold. You can not only avoid thatand also save a significant amount of money on your power and water bills by installing a tankless water heater.
Similar to a traditional storage water heater, tankless water heaters cost money up front in order to install them, but what most do not know is that a traditional storage water heater will only last on average for 8 years, where as a tankless water heater will last you up to 20 years and come with a lengthy warranty to sweeten the deal.
Energy efficiency is another huge factor that comes to mind when looking at water heating; tankless water heaters are estimated to be 22% more efficient then traditional water heaters, reducing the cost of the power or gas used in the heating process.
Low Flow Toilets
It is estimated that the average person flushes a toilet five times a day, and if the toilet they are flushing is not a low flow toilet, a single flush uses anywhere from 14 to 27 Liters per flush. That is a good chunk of water. In fact, toilet flushing on average is equal to a third of all the water used in the interior of a residential home.
A low flow toilet uses under 6 Liters per flush, saving around 20 Liters of water per flush; by upgrading to a low flow toilet you can save 100 Liters of water per person, per day, that also will not show up later on your monthly water bill. These low flow toilets use pressure technology and/or gravity to do the dirty work instead of a high flow of too much water.
New Showerheads
Another third of the water used in a residential home is the water that comes out of your faucets and showers. Some people believe that if the faucet or showerheads don’t have a large amount of water flowing through them, that the water pressure would be too poor to make switching to water saving fixtures worth it. That couldn’t be further from the truth however, because with modern day technology showerheads and faucets have the capability of high performance while simultaneously saving water.
Saving water itself cuts down the water bill and also cuts down on your power or gas bill due to the decreased demand on your water heater when using hot water through your sinks and showers.
A quality local plumber can get you up-to-date by upgrading any old fixtures, toilets, and water heaters; saving money is the best reason to pick up the phone and call a plumber!