Going to the Bathroom to Go Green

With eco-friendly homes growing in popularity, there is often one room that gets overlooked; the bathroom. Although the kitchen uses the most electricity, the bathroom also needs to be considered to make your home green and eco-friendly. We offer some green tips for your bathroom to keep your home green and environmentally friendly. If you are doing your part to conserve our natural resources and reduce your carbon footprint, consider these bathroom changes that will assist in saving money and the earth.

Water Consumption

According to the EPA, a family of 4 can consume up to 300 gallons of water per day. This includes showers, baths, toilet flushes, and hygiene needs. The bathroom is the one room in the home that revolves around water. Therefore, plumbing manufacturers have developed fixtures that can help reduce water waste. A few options include:

• Low flow toilets
• Dual flush toilets
• Automatic sensor operated faucets
• Low flow shower head

Simply installing these fixtures can cut your water consumption, waste, money, and the earth. As automatic faucets turn on and off when your hand is underneath it, there will no longer be wasted water from a steady flow. Dual flush toilets offer 2 flush types, a low flow flush, and a higher flow flush for larger waste needs.

Electricity Savings

When you think about saving on your electricity use, you often overlook the bathroom as a source of wasted voltage. However, as bathroom technology grows, your bathroom could be wasting more than you know. Traditional lighting, electric vents, outlets and bathroom appliances can increase your energy bill and suck the life out of conservation. There are now energy-efficient options available that will help keep your bathroom comfortable as well as save you money. Some of the more popular options include:

• Install LED or CFL lightbulbs
• Install motion activated light switches
• Install bathroom vent fan timers
• Use energy an efficient water heater

Just a few small changes can help save energy and money. Installing timers, motion lighting and using energy efficient appliances can help you do your part in conserving energy while lowering your monthly bill.

Heating and Cooling

A lot of energy is wasted on heating and cooling a room. The bathroom is no different. Constantly running you’re A/C or furnace will assure you have a comfortable room, but also a high energy bill. If you are planning to redesign your bathroom, there are options available that eliminate the need to constantly control the room temperature.

Choosing flooring and wall coverings that trap the heat in the winter will help keep your bathroom comfortable without the need for additional heating. Tiles retain heat, which will keep your feet warm without needing additional heating, depending on the floor beneath. Tiles set on a wood floor will be warmer than tiles set on concrete.

Many homeowners are making the change to under-tile heating. With the low running cost and the ability for the heated floor to help in heating the room, it is more cost effective than radiators, electric heaters, or central heating. If your bathroom is properly insulated and the windows and crevices are properly sealed, the under-tile heater can keep your room warm without wasting energy.

Everyone should consider doing their part to conserve energy and create an eco-friendly home. With a few changes to your bathroom, you can leave less of a carbon footprint and be proud of the steps taken to lower your energy consumption as well as see the savings each month.

Teri Upton is an avid decorator and blogger. If your bathroom lighting set-up needs some work, find out more about different styles of Bathroom Wall Lights.