Tag: eco-friendly

Get Eco-Friendly Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures in Honor of Earth Day

Make the Home More Eco-Friendly This Earth Day 

In the spring, nature shakes off the dormancy of winter and starts to green back up. With trees and grass returning to life in a splash of green, now is the perfect time to think about greening up the home. With Earth Day right around the corner, there has never been a better time to consider upgrades around the home to reduce the carbon footprint, save energy and reduce water usage. 

The plumbing in the home is a great opportunity to introduce some eco-friendly practices. By saving water and reducing energy usage, homeowners can go green, just like all the trees on the block. Here are some of the best recommendations from local experts to help homeowners have a more eco-friendly home. 

Water-Saving Plumbing Fixtures 

saveThe first opportunity for eco-friendliness in plumbing is water conservation. Water takes a huge amount of energy and infrastructure to purify and transport it, so by reducing water usage, homeowners can have a big impact on these systems. The first thing that homeowners should do to save water is to schedule a plumbing inspection to take care of leaks. For a longer-term plan, installing water-saving fixtures is the best idea. 

For an eco-friendly home that sips water instead of guzzles it, try installing plumbing fixtures like: 

  • Water-saving toilets that can reduce water wasted on flushes by around 20%
  • Low-flow showerheads reduce water usage during bathing by another 20%
  • Touchless faucets save water by reducing the likelihood that someone will leave the faucet running

Energy Efficiency Options for Appliances 

washerWhen it comes to making the plumbing in the home more eco-friendly, most people tend to think only about how plumbing fixtures can save water. While water conservation is a main goal in an eco-friendly household, several appliances use water as well as power, making them great opportunities for energy and water savings. 

To maximize savings on water bills while minimizing wasted water and power, look into upgrading to: 

  • Energy-Saving Water Heaters: These devices use far less natural gas or electricity to provide hot water to the family. 
  • Energy-Efficient Washing Machines: New washing machines are high-efficiency, using less power, water, and soap to pollute waterways. 
  • Water-Saving Dishwashers: The most efficient dishwashers use as little as four gallons of water to clean dishes. They are also energy-saving to reduce power usage. 

Can Repiping a Home Help? 

The final opportunity that plumbing presents to homeowners that want to have an eco-friendly home is the plumbing infrastructure itself. Things like pipe material, diameter, and plumbing layouts have important implications for eco-friendliness. 

In older homes, metal piping can leak or seep out water, raising bills and wasting freshwater resources. By upgrading the piping to modern plastics like PEX, homeowners can reduce wastage and the possibility of a burst pipe. When repiping a home, plumbers can also address problems like pipe diameter that can cause restrictions in water flow. This reduces water pressure to the home without a drop in volume supplied to fixtures. 

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company is the local expert for water conservation in homes. Their award-winning service and free estimates can help everyone achieve their environmental goals. Call today for a courteous plumbing service in Apple Valley, MN. 

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Eco-Friendly Plumbing Tips in Time for St. Patrick's Day

Make the Home Greener on St. Patrick's Day

For years, green has been associated with St. Patrick's Day. Still, as people become more aware of the consequences of their actions, green can also be associated with attempts to become more environmentally aware. 

Springtime is a great season to be reminded of being green. St. Patrick's Day is a harbinger of warmer weather and is also the season where life returns after being put on hold during winter. This spring, take some advice from local plumbers and celebrate being "green" in its fullness. Here are three ways to make plumbing greener. 

Eco-Friendly Appliances and Plumbing Fixtures 

In every home, there are multiple points of use for water. This means that there are multiple opportunities to make changes that can save water. Start saving water by: 

  • Buying Water Saving Appliances: Dishwashers and clothes washers use a lot of water. New high-efficiency models use a fraction of the water that conventional appliances use. 
  • Low Flow Showerheads: Showering daily takes up a lot of the monthly water budget. Low flow showerheads give the same comfort and cleaning power as inefficient showerheads while using far less water. 
  • Dual Flush Toilets: Saving water from being flushed down the toilet is as simple as installing a dual flush toilet. This allows the user to use less water to flush liquid waste. The result is a 50% reduction in water used for flushing. 

Saving water is a great way to make a positive environmental impact. The carbon footprint of treating water and sewage is high, so using as little as possible makes sense. By focusing on eco-friendly plumbing, homeowners can reduce their home's carbon footprint. 

Green Habitssave money

Greener plumbing doesn't have to be put off until a renovation. Saving water and making plumbing more environmentally friendly can be as easy as changing some habits. Some easy places to start can be: 
  • Turn off the water while brushing your teeth
  • Fixing leaks as soon as possible
  • Water the landscape in the morning or at night
  • Only do full loads of laundry and dishes
  • Don't buy bottled water
  • Insulate pipes, especially hot water pipes

All of these habits will cut down on water usage and save the energy that goes into heating water.

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Pay Attention to What Goes Down the Drain

Plumbing is so convenient that it's easy to forget where all of the water goes down the drain ends up. Unfortunately, all of the water used in a home ends up somewhere out in nature. Often, a home's sewage ends up in a waterway headed for the ocean, which can spell trouble when the water is carrying non-biodegradable materials. 

A great example of plumbing's impact on waterways is the recently discovered problems with microbeads. Tiny microplastic beads are common in soaps and face washes in small amounts. However, when thousands of people use products laden with microplastics, they can cause microplastic silt to build up in waterways and wildlife tissue. This problem is a stark reminder to pay attention to everything going down the toilet and the drain.  

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company is famous for offering award-winning service. They offer free estimates and upfront pricing. Call them today for eco-friendly plumbing service in Apple Valley, MN. 

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