Reducing our carbon footprint is a necessary part of preserving the planet. To that end, we offer green plumbing services. Green plumbing means reducing water waste, using sustainable materials, and employing modern technologies like tankless water heaters and solar thermal. Green plumbing Queens can be as simple as cutting down on shower time, but to achieve significant gains more advanced capabilities can be employed. Here are a few tips and tricks for green Queens plumbing to help point you in the right direction.
Queens Plumbing Water Saving
With less than ten percent of the planet’s water supply drinkable, the need for saving water is paramount. Tankless water heaters help because they provide water on demand where and when you need hot water instead of storing the water in a tank as traditional hot water heaters do. Keeping the water consistently warm keeps the power bill consistently up. Devices for using less water in the shower, the toilet, and the kitchen sink are available. You could help by installing a new showerhead that uses 3 gallons less water than older shower heads. You can also help by fixing any leaky faucets in the house. Leaky pipes you will need a professional to check out, but these should be fixed pronto to keep the water bill down as well as saving water. Also, available are low flow faucets for the kitchen and bathroom, water heater governors, and water pressure regulators.
TIP: Turn off all water for an hour. Read the water meter before turning off the water. After an hour, read the meter again. Any difference means you have leaky pipes. Call Kew Forest immediately.
Queens Plumbing Solar Hot Water
However, it’s how the water is heated and carried that can be the most challenging. When you live in an established dwelling instead of a new build, how the water is heated can cost you a small fortune. Modern, efficient plumbing equipment include hot water tanks what are much more efficient and tankless water heaters that supply hot water upon demand. Combination heat pump and water heater units address two needs at once. But it is solar hot water or solar thermal where the sun is harnessed to heat water that provides the greatest advantage.
Contrary to popular belief, solar energy is a very real and effective solution for homeowners and business owners who live in northern climates. A solar hot water system works when the sun is out — even on cloudy days. Depending on the cost of energy, the amount of sunlight and your typical hot water usage, solar hot water can be a very affordable power source. In fact, in a typical residential installation, electric hot water system users can save as much as 2,800 kilowatt-hours annually, or up to 20 percent on their electric bill.
TIP: Kew Forest Plumbing’s green Queens plumbing services can achieve 98 percent efficiency and install Energy Star rated solutions.
Queens Plumbing Sustainable Materials
Sustainable materials in green plumbing begin with the pipes and work into the dwelling. If you live in an established dwelling instead of new construction, you don’t have much choice in pipes using recyclable materials. Just know that most metals formerly used in pipes have now been replaced with polyvinyl chloride or PVC pipe, which is produced with a smaller carbon footprint. Inside the house, low capacity faucets and shower heads are being used that add air to the water flow. They save up to 8,000 gallons of water in a year’s time. Low flow toilets using less than two gallons to flush the tank are commonplace now.
You can trust the Glendale-based Kew Forest Plumbing and Heating to design your water saving and recycling systems with ingenuity while using sustainable methods and materials. We’ve been doing this for almost a century. We are LEED certified and can help you achieve your LEED rating, too. Contact Kew Forest Queens plumbing to discuss your green plumbing options today.