Saving Water Can Save You Money!

Hot summer months naturally bring higher water bills, and often times it seems efforts to conserve water go right out the window no matter how hard you try. Whether it’s watering plants or the lawn, doing more loads of laundry, kids playing in the water, backyard pools, more showers, etc. — that water bill just keeps climbing. With all of that, it is still actually possible to reign in some of that unnecessary water usage with high-efficiency plumbing fixtures designed to save water without compromising performance. Making the switch could save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. Most people don’t realize that toilets account for approximately 30% of the average home’s water usage? You’ve probably heard the saying, “flushing money down the toilet.” Well, with toilets installed prior to 1994 you are literally doing just that! Water usage with older toilets can vary significantly, using somewhere between 3.5 gallons per flush (GPF) and as much as seven gallons for each flush. Federal plumbing standards now specify that new toilets can use a maximum of 1.6 GPF. That kind of savings multiple times per day can really add up over a years’ time! Dual-flush model toilets are another cost-saving option. They have two flushing mechanisms, and use less or more flushing power as needed, though they leave the choice in the hands of the person flushing to select the correct flushing option. It’s also possible to install relatively inexpensive retrofitted dual-flush adapters onto existing toilets, though the best cost-savings is most likely going to be realized by installing a high efficiency toilet which uses a maximum of 1.28 GPF per federal plumbing standards for a high-efficiency rating. High-efficiency toilets will generally cost a little more, but depending upon your municipality and/or utility company, it’s possible that you may be eligible for rebates based on the efficiency rating of the new toilet you select, which could potentially cover the cost of the upgrade right up front. Pretty much everyone loves a nice long hot shower—but it’s estimated that showering accounts for 20% or more of the average household’s indoor water use. You can actually save as much as 70% off your showering water usage by upgrading old shower-heads to high-efficiency versions. High-efficiency shower-heads use no more than 2 gallons per minute (GPM), which is much lower than old or inefficient shower-heads that use more than 2.5 GPM. Newer, high-efficiency shower-heads

can still give you a strong stream, so there’s no need to worry about sacrificing that strong, steady stream you depend upon when showering! Hopefully you know, and are, turning off the bathroom faucet while brushing your teeth. But did you know that you can still save water even with the tap on? There are also high-efficiency faucets for bathrooms and kitchens that use a maximum of 1.5 GPM, approximately 30% less than that of standard flow faucets with use around 2.2 GPM. Replacing those old faucets with newer high-efficiency models can save the average household upwards of 700 gallons of water per year, the equivalent of approximately 40 average showers! There is also the added benefit of newer faucets upgrading the look of your bathroom or kitchen to achieve a more modern feel which can potentially help the resale value of your home. Tallon Services cares about helping our clients save money, and our reliable and experienced plumbing technicians are here to help! Give us a call as (970) 381-4493 if you are interested in upgrading to high-efficiency plumbing fixtures.