Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 as a day to inspire the environmental movement and drive positive action for planet Earth. It’s a day to “Go Green” and be proactive and not reactive to the damage pollution and overuse can do to our planet. Michael’s Plumbing understands the importance of creating energy efficiency, thus saving you money.
With this in mind, we invite you to celebrate Earth Day by going green with your plumbing, and we don’t mean by having green water in your toilet.
Tip #1
Measure Your Home’s Energy Use by utilizing EnergyStar.gov’s Home Energy Yardstick. This free tool will provide a simple do-it-yourself assessment of your home’s energy use every year. It will compare your home to those in your neighborhood and similar structures.
Tip #2
Measure Your Leaks because similar to measuring your home’s energy use is measuring the leaks in your faucets. Got a leak? Think a slow drip isn’t too big of a deal? Think again. By using our Leak Calculator, you could find that each leaky faucet means a waste of $20 or more in terms of water. Not to mention the amount of energy being used to heat that water that’s dripping away.
Tip #3
Installing Energy-Efficient Appliances should be one of your first steps towards making a green home. Look for the EnergyStar symbol on potential appliances such as your dishwasher and clothing washer. These appliances can reduce water consumption and energy consumption. You can save up to 25 percent in energy costs and up to 33 percent in water consumption.
Tip #4
Installing Low-Flow Faucets can lower the amount of water used by your shower, bath and sinks by as much as 60 percent. Another option is to install a faucet flow reducer, which can fit on your already-installed faucet, thus reducing the flow of water from that faucet by as much as 40 percent.
Tip #5
Check the Efficiency of Your Water Heather by inviting a Michael’s Plumbing professional to perform routine maintenance. Maintenance can check how your water heater is functioning while also improving the efficiency of the appliance.
Tip #6
Install an On-Demand Water Heater with a tankless water heater if your current system is not able to perform efficiently. Not only is a tankless water heater efficient in terms of space usage, but it also means that the lack of a storage tank offers more than 20 percent energy efficiency. Michael’s also offers solar water heaters, taking advantage of the Central Florida sunshine by heating your water and saving you money.
Tip #7
Insulate Your Pipes to help insure consistent hot water. While most winters Florida doesn’t have to worry about freezing temperatures, thus frozen pipes, it’s still important to insulate your pipes. If a water pipe is left uninsulated, there can be a significant loss of heat as it’s traveling from the water heater to the faucet or showerhead. This just means your water heater is working harder and you’re getting more frustrated by the inconsistent temperatures.
Schedule an appointment online or call Michael’s Plumbing at (407) 219-9772 to discuss how you can celebrate Earth Day in your home not just April 22, but all year-long with a greener plumbing system in your home.