The Green Bathroom
More people every day are finding reason to consider the environment when they look to make home improvement. Emissions, waste, pollution, global warming, and deforesting, are just a few of these concerns—and, for good reason. This place we call home is the only one we’ve got and it’s up to us to take care of it. The good news, though, is that governments, corporations, and contractors are responding. At FaucetDirect.com, we’ve got a lot of options for "greenifying" your home so you can help save the environment as well. You’ll save a lot of cash, too.
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HansGrohe Showers and Lavatories
Aside from being one of the premier faucet manufacturers, HansGrohe is committed to a green vision in business. Founded in 1901, the company—headquartered in the Black Forest of Germany—has lead the way in ensuring your experience with water is one that is relaxing and fulfilling, but also environmentally sound. HansGrohe introduced a finishing process on their plumbing products that reduces waste while protecting the environment around their manufacturing plants. In 1993, HansGrohe reconfigured its electricity needs at its Offenburg facilities by harnessing the natural energy of the sun via solar power. At that time, this became the largest solar panel project in the world.
For the consumer, HansGrohe implemented a conservation device in their thermostatic shower valves. This reduces the overall water used while showering but maintains 100% of the user’s enjoyment. Even with federally mandated flow restrictors, the HansGrohe shower feels unchanged. The innovatively incorporated air injection technology stabilizes water pressure for maximum comfort. For the lavatory, HansGrohe’s “low-flow” electronic faucets are estimated to save you anywhere from 40% to 77% in overall water usage. The automatic shut-off feature saves water—and money—without you having to do anything.
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American Standard Toilets
American Standard is synonymous with American-made quality. You’ll find their products nearly everywhere, and most commonly in commercial locations. Their conscious move with the “green movement” demonstrates the progressive thinking that comes from being in business for over 130 years. As a major player in the conservation game, its innovative products are inspiring other companies get on board with getting green.
The FloWise series is a practical approach to conservation. FloWise toilets use less than 1.6 gallons of water per flush (gpf) and that equates to about 80% of the water your conventional toilet uses. A 20% difference may not sound like much, but it works out to about 1,000 gallons in a year on average. Taking this idea one step further is American Standard’s unique approach with the Dual Flush FloWise Toilet. One button flushes solid waste on 1.6 gpf and the other flushes liquid waste on 0.8 gpf. With just these two options, nearly 30% of water savings can be achieved. Another option within this conservative group is the Cadet 3. It’s a higher efficiency version that still flushes on 20% less water but its high performance can flush up to 1,000 grams in a single flush.
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Toto Lavatories
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TOTO is setting new standards in the green movement. And, in order to achieve the sustainability goals they’ve set for themselves, TOTO has employed nationally recognized scientific and environmental programs—like the EPA National Environmental Achievement Track and the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)—to help keep them on track.
As one of the most recognized brand names worldwide for its bidets and washlets, TOTO also provides a wonderful series of ecologically-friendly faucets. These “EcoPower” faucets are electrically powered, have no handles, and are fully automated. This feature saves water in families with young children, so parents are sure their kids aren’t letting water run or drip. It also ensures higher sanitation in the bathroom as well. What’s really amazing is that this faucet powers itself. Included underneath the counter is a power box with two batteries for back up and a battery connected to a turbine. When the faucet is in use, it spins the turbine and charges the faucet’s main battery. These faucets save energy, money, and water, and this innovation is clearly designed with you (and the planet) in mind.
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Tanklesss Water Heaters
In your house, you turn off the lights when you’re not using them, right? So why not use that same principle with heating the water for your shower, laundry, or dishwasher? The standard tanked heater constantly simmers water, wasting energy anytime hot water isn’t being used—that is, during the day when everyone is away from home, during each and every night when everyone is asleep, and all the while when you’re on vacation.
The better, greener alternative is the tankless water heater (also called on-demand water heaters), which heat water only when you need it. On-demand water heaters never run out of hot water, because, so long as you have a continual flow of water, the tankless water heater will always heat it. It is important to note, though, that on-demand water heaters can distribute only so much heated water at one time. Choose the appropriate tankless water heater for accommodating the number of applications requiring hot water—the shower, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.—that you might be using at any given time. Larger, high-performance, and higher flow rate tankless water heaters can be used to heat the whole house’s supply of water to meet this goal.
Going hand-in-hand with this are two important factors you’ll want to consider before purchasing your tankless water heater. These are: 1. choosing an on-demand water heater that is electric or gas-powered; and, 2. finding the proper location of said heater. Electric on-demand water heaters alleviate the need for integrating gas supply lines to the heater since an electrical outlet supplies power. The other side of this coin, though, is that gas-powered on-demand water heaters are typically more energy efficient, which can save more money on your utility bill.
Finding the proper place for the heater—either indoor or outdoor and located somewhat within proximity to your hot-water applications—is also important. This is because the longer distance the water must travel to the point of application, the longer the time it can take for the water to get hot. If you have a large home and are concerned about unlimited hot water in any place within it, you might want to consider using multiple point-of-use water heaters so you can have what you need, when you need it. (Please note, gas-powered tankless water heaters located inside the home need proper ventilation. Depending on the average temperatures in your climate and the model you’ve purchased, your tankless water heater could be installed outdoors, circumventing this requirement. If you choose to go electric, however, you won't need to upgrade your venting.)
Tankless heaters take up less space, last around seven years longer than standard tanked water heaters as they have fewer moving parts and are not susceptible to the rust and leaks a storage tank is, and will save you an average of 25%-50% on your utilities bill. While initially more expensive, the units pay for themselves—and then some—over the subsequent months of use. Also, less energy is wasted, which is good for you and the world.
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“Going Green” has many merits. If you’re starting with the bathroom, it’s likely you’ll find a contagious urge to treating the rest of the house in the same way. Green living is beneficial to the environment, and, as you’re sure to find out with the above-mentioned items, it can be beautiful and sophisticated as well. If you have any questions about any of our environmentally-sound products, please give a call to our knowledgeable sales staff, and they’ll be glad to assist you. FaucetDirect.com: your Number One place for green plumbing products and accessories.
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