How do you and your family beat the heat of a Red Oak summer? Do you down cup after cup of ice cold water? Maybe go running through a sprinkler or splash around in a kiddie pool? Take a long, hot shower in order to wash away the day’s grime?
You’ll notice that all of those solutions have one thing in common: They each use up plenty of water.
Rather than using the hottest months of the year as an excuse to break your green habits, use them to develop new ones. Here are three easy ways to make your plumbing greener than ever, even in the dog days of summer:
1.) Lower Your Water Heater’s Temperature
We’re willing to bet that you already cut back on your hot water usage a little bit in the summer, so why not take the next step?
Turning down the temperature on your water heater just a few degrees – to approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit – can help you save water, energy, and money by reducing both total consumption (that is, the amount of hot water you use around the house) and standby losses (or the heat that your water heater gives off to the surrounding area, such as your basement).
2.) Check off Your “Honey-Do” List
Take advantage of the summer season’s nice weather and long days to check off some of the basic repair and maintenance projects you’ve been pushing off all year.
Getting a few things done could make your entire system significantly greener down the line: Taking the time to properly insulate your pipes, for example, will enable you to receive hot water with less of a lag time, potentially saving you gallons of water every day.
All of your plumbing’s little aches and pains add up in a big way: A running toilet can waste over one hundred gallons of water every day, while a dripping faucet can waste more than 3000 gallons of water per year.
Routine service may not seem like much, but trust us: Taking the time to inspect, service, or replace your plumbing now will make a major difference for your system, your wallet, and the planet in the days and weeks ahead.
3.) Make Your Green Thumb Even Greener
Beautiful summer days are perfect for going outdoors to play, work, or garden; unfortunately, this can lead to plenty of wasted water.
Instead of using more water to beat the summer heat’s effect on your lawn and garden, try using water more efficiently. When you’re using a hose, target your plants’ roots, rather than their leaves. Consider swapping out thirsty garden plants with beautiful, sustainable options (or even eye-catching rock gardens). Above all, be smart about your water use: Instead of relying on gallons dumped out by a hose or sprinkler, consider investing in a rain barrel (allowing you to store rainwater for when you need it) or reusing the water from your cooking pots or shower.
Once you get started, you won’t be able to stop looking for creative new ways to store and use water each and every day!
Have any green plumbing hacks that you think we should know? Ready to update your system with high-efficiency shower heads, faucets, or toilets? Just looking to weather the next unexpected plumbing disaster? For all of the above – and more – Combat Plumbing is here! Drop us a line for all of your HVAC and plumbing needs, day or night.
