From Guest Blogger Cooper Klein: Green Construction–The Future of Eco-Friendly Plumbing
It’s no secret that bathrooms in residential and commercial buildings share a big piece of the water consumption pie. Because of that, both businesses and homeowners are looking for new ways to save water and tweak their plumbing towards more eco-friendly solutions. The idea of green bathrooms isn’t new – through decades of eco-friendly construction developments, few areas have seen as much attention as bathrooms. Let’s break down the current state in this field, as well as see what the future brings.
The idea of green
Eco-friendly or green plumbing includes solutions that reduce the environmental impact of the bathroom use by reducing water usage, energy usage, and reducing the amount of waste. By using today’s Energy Star qualified appliances, tankless water heaters, high-efficiency faucets and showerheads, as well as low-flow toilets, an average family is able to save about 95,000 litres of water per year. With new installations such as dual-plumbing systems and composting toilets, the environmental footprint of our toilets can be reduced even more.
Three ‘faucets’ of efficiency
The first benefit of eco-friendly plumbing is reduced water use. Low-flow toilets, aerated taps and showers as well as economical irrigation systems conserve water without sacrificing their functionality. Even by fixing the dripping or leaking water fixtures, you’ve made a big step towards more efficient plumbing. On the other hand, there are plumbing solutions that help you reduce the energy in your home or place of business, such as tankless water heaters and insulated water pipes. Aside from benefiting the environment, decreased water and energy use also benefits your budget. Finally, some solutions are dedicated to your health, as well as the one of the environment. By filtering the water that comes into your home, you eliminate toxins in the water you drink, bathe in and wash your clothes with. On the other end of the pipe, by using waste processing systems, you reduce the harmfulness of the water that leaves your home through drains.
Tankless water heaters
Although not a novelty anymore, these water-saving appliances are still being developed and improved with smart solutions that increase their efficiency even more. Their construction is fairly simple – instead of having a water tank for storing hot water, a tankless heater is activated on demand, when you need hot water on your tap. Water flows through heating elements and is being heated instantly. Apart from saving a lot of water, these systems also save a lot of space, and typically last longer than standard heaters with tanks.
Dual-plumbing systems
The idea behind these systems is that two separate pipelines bring water to your home – potable and reclaimed. While potable water can be used for drinking, washing and preparing food, reclaimed water is used for less hygienic proposes, such as flushing the toilets and outdoor irrigation. It’s pre-treated to remove waste and bacteria, to make it more suitable for landscape use. Still, even with separated plumbing, blocked drains can always become an issue. Instead of using products that are harmful to the environment, it’s better to call professionals who use high-pressure water jetting equipment to clear blocked drains. A cheaper alternative to dual-plumbing systems is those that use greywater. In these systems, the water that is flushed down the drains is reused once more for non-potable purposes. Both systems have proven their value in drought-prone regions, such as California and Queensland.
Composting toilets
The idea of using human waste as fertilizer can turn a lot of people away, but that’s just what these composting toilets do. By repurposing human waste, communities can save a lot of water on both irrigation and flushing. Modern composting toilets are often equipped with electronic vents that eliminate the odours. An even more advanced system incinerates the waste, producing ashes that can be used as fertilizer. By eliminating the practice of open-air bathrooms, processing human waste through composting has the potential to improve the public health in developing countries as well as replace chemical fertilizers.
More than a fad
A questionnaire forwarded by Hardware Retailing Magazine to a number of hardware retailers has revealed that 90 percent of them already provide green products in their plumbing department, while 47 percent of them said that their customers are actively asking for eco-friendly products. What is more, in many communities, they now offer incentives to renovators who want to install low-flow and energy-efficient appliances and plumbing. That considering, it’s unlikely that we’re going to see fewer sensor faucets, waterless urinals, solar-powered flushing and many other green bathroom fixtures in the near future.
While some of us will be interested in eco-friendly plumbing just for its benefit to the environment, the others will also value the financial savings and health benefits it can yield. One way or another, in the future, those two concepts will ultimately become one.
Cooper Klein is an entrepreneur with a degree in Marketing, based in Sydney. He’s interested in business and home decor. In order to spend more time with his family, Cooper decided to take a break, and he’s currently working from home as a blogger for Smooth Decorator and a business consultant.
