Eco-friendly Plumbing Columbine

Plumbing may not seem like an area with much environmental potential, but there are several ways it can be made eco-friendly. Some of these are simple, like making sure to turn off the tap while brushing teeth. Others call for more significant changes to the technology and systems we use. Plumbing can be part of the problem, certainly, but it can also be part of the solution.

Your home's plumbing can be made more sustainable in a number of ways. One of the simplest is to replace your current fixtures with low-flow models. These come in all varieties, including faucets, showers, and toilets. They use significantly less water, and their performance is on par with or better than that of standard fixtures. When shopping for low-flow or dual-flush toilets, check with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, which certifies products that have passed rigorous tests for both water efficiency and performance.

Toilets that use less water than standard models not only reduce the strain on the community's water resources, but they also lessen the impact on our water bills. Compared to our old toilet, which seemed to require an endless supply of water to work properly, the dual-flush toilet we chose to install uses just over 1.6 gallons and often significantly less to flush liquid waste, according to Sheila's calculations—enough to handle what a person would do in a day.

An eco-friendly option for homes in Columbine, tankless water heaters are not like traditional water heaters that heat and store a large volume of water. Why not? Because they are on-demand units that use energy more efficiently since they are not maintaining a continually-heated tank of water. They last longer than old-fashioned water heaters. They are made with fewer materials, partly because they are smaller than traditional units. Overall, tankless units are more environmentally friendly than their forebears.

The practice of greywater recycling can reduce your home's water use by 50 percent or more. It isn't complicated, but it does take some work. The actual "plumbing" aspect of it is fairly simple. We have diverted or plumbed wastewater (after it has passed through the main floor). Generally, in a one-and-a-half-story house (like the one in the picture), the greywater system can send 25 to 70 gallons of water a day to the irrigation system.Irrigation can happen in many ways. The system we use tends to flood the area near a tree or shrub. You can see in the picture how that "irrigation" looks to a human eye.

The "green" status of a plumbing system can leak like, well, a system that's leaking. Even a small, undetected plumbing leak can cost a "green" builder a couple of hundred gallons a month. That's a lot of water—upwards of 1,700 gallons—in just one quarter of the year. And the fiscal cost is about the same. A quarter with a couple of dozen plugs every month can pay for a substantial part of a plumbing inspection—enough that the plumbing budget for regular hours can finish the job.

Certainly! Selecting plumbing materials that are kind to the environment can make a world of difference in reducing remnant issues encountered in traditional plumbing systems. PEX pipes, for example, are far more resource-efficient to produce than copper, vinyl, or even steel piping, and offer superior insulation, which minimizes heat loss. By all means, use push-fit fittings that are easy to install and disassemble without producing waste when the time comes to remodel or make repairs. And for anything that has to do with water, choose Eco- or LEED-certified fixtures and appliances made from recycled materials.

Solar water heating can be an efficient and environmentally friendly water heating system for homeowners in Columbine. It uses solar energy to heat water, which sharply reduces reliance on standard energy sources. As a result, the device can significantly cut your carbon emissions. And while the up-front cost can give a lot of people pause, the solar water heater's operational cost is so low that many people find it pays for itself within 5 to 10 years.

Home appliances that are watersmart use the best technology available. They perform the essential tasks of washing dishes or clothes, yet they do so with far less water than their not-so-distant predecessors. These delightfully strange appliances use about a third to a half of the water that older models used, even when those older models were thought to be using a reasonable (if not an excessive) amount of water for the job.By topping off your hearing and seeing the load to be washed at an optimum level, you will help maintain the efficiency of the DishServe and any sustainably living-efficient appliance. And you won’t miss “using a reasonable amount of water” because when you do, you’re using a sound sustainable living practice, in the same way that, say, you munch your way through a bag of carrot sticks.

The plumbing systems in our homes can be incorporated with smart technology, which can heighten their eco-friendliness. This technology allows homeowners to not just monitor but also control their water usage. One might not think of it, but "smart" irrigation systems are the frontier of that technology, not just for our national parks but for the very much real gardens and yards most of us have back home. Why do I call them our loophole to the smart plumbing pipes picture? Well, irrigation systems, especially here in the arid West, have a ton of potential to waste water.