High Efficiency Homes

The home is a great place to start the transformation towards living in a more environmentally friendly way.

This blog will provide tips to improve your carbon foot print in the home.

Low Flow Products

Low flow plumbing fixtures help to conserve water without compromising performance. The three most common low flow home improvements are shower heads, toilets and faucets.

shower head

Shower Heads

Showering accounts for up to 20% of the average household’s indoor water use. Cut your shower water use by switching to a low-flow showerhead. While a nice shower is a great in any bathroom, fixtures like rain-head style showerheads can use up to 20 gallons per minute (gpm) of water! Compared to this, an ultra low-flow shower head uses up to 2 gpm without lacking the pressure you’re looking for!

Tip: Another way to save in the shower is to reduce your shower time. Make a shower playlist that is 5-10 minutes long (or shorter) and end your shower when the playlist finishes. Make it fun!

low flow toiletToilets

Toilets are the most common low-flow product. If you have a toilet(s) that uses more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush (gpf)-as most toilets installed before 1994 do- replace it with one of the following:

  • High-efficiency (ultra-low-flush) toilet models that uses no more than 1.28 gpf
  • Dual-flush toilet, which has a low-flush button for liquid waste and a high-flush button for solid waste
  • Composting toilet, which uses little to no water for flushing

Make your toilet more water-efficient by putting a small water bottle (filled with water, with the cap on) into the toilet tank to displace water. Do not put a brick in the tank as you may have heard. This will erode and damage the tank.

tap

Faucets

Replace your old 90s with a high-efficiency faucet, or add a water-saving aerator or flow restrictor to your existing faucet as an easy and inexpensive modification.

Brands that manufacture higher efficiency fixtures include: American Standard, Delta, Gerber, Toto, Kohler

A major consideration when upgrading your home’s energy efficiency is the price tag. Manufacturers recognize that more and more people are becoming energy conscious, and the range of products is very diverse in terms of quality, features, and price!

Kitchen Appliances
Unsurprisingly, keeping an appliance at a constant temperature takes a lot of energy. When you use your oven, the energy usage of your house increases dramatically and your fridge is constantly turned on so these are two appliances you need to make sure are energy efficient. Take a look at the energy rating of them and make sure they are rated highly. It is also important to think about how old your home’s wiring is, if you live in an older home you might not see the full benefit of your energy-efficient appliances if the wiring in your home is very old. Working with an electrician from In Phase Electric and Air (get it here) you can rewire your home to get the full energy efficiency you are paying for if you buy new, energy-efficient appliances.

You should also make sure they’re in top working condition to ensure no energy is being wasted. For example, a damaged fridge can go unnoticed and cost your hundreds of dollars a year in energy bills. Inspect your fridge and get Maytag fridge repairs in London (or wherever you’re located) as soon as you notice something is damaged or your energy bill increases.

Solar Water Heating

Solar water heating is not new, but it is becoming more popular, especially in West Vancouver. As of June 2011, new homes must be built in preparation for the use of solar energy to heat water. West Vancouver has implemented this specifically because the North Shore receives a great amount of sunlight, and harnessing the sun’s energy for power is a great way to make this renewable resource work for your home. If you’re thinking of getting your home ready for solar water heating, then you’ll want to get in contact with your local solar equipment supplier to find the necessary system and components you’ll need. It can be difficult to fund new energy-efficient ventures so taking out a personal loan could be a method of getting these renovations sooner rather than later. You can get these loans from companies like SoFi (https://www.sofi.com/money/), which can help to get you an appropriate loan for whatever expenditures you want to buy.

If you want to do any of these projects but can’t take it on yourself, be sure to call us and we will be more than happy to assist you in your step towards a greener home!