Our impact on the planet continues to grow every year, day, and minute. From large corporate entities to individuals, everyone needs to do their part to take care of the environment and live sustainably. Luckily, eco-friendly habits are most often wallet-friendly! Check out the tips below to improve upon the things you regularly do around the home, and in many cases, you can save money by being greener.
The Super Plumber - Plumbing and Drain Services offers 100% guaranteed plumbing services in Victoria plus other municipalities on the island like Nanaimo, Duncan, Sydney, Cowichan, and more. We can help you make your home more efficient, save water, save on your energy bill, and lower your risk of having a plumbing emergency. (However, if an emergency does occur, give us a call any time!).
Environmentally-Friendly Changes to Make in the Home
You can start making these changes slowly if you’re working with a small budget. But, many of them are low cost or free to start doing today, and you’ll end up saving money over time.
- Turn down your water heater but within the safe range. Water heaters use a lot of energy, but your temperature needs to be hot enough to kill bacteria and pathogens. In Canada, water must be stored at 60 C or higher to minimize bacteria contamination.
- Improve the efficiency of your water heater with a check-up or replacement. If needed we install water heaters in Nanaimo plus other municipalities on Vancouver Island. Insulate the room where your hot water heater resides so it can do its job more efficiently – it must work harder if the room is cold.
- Get a low-flow toilet with dual flushing options. Older toilets use 3.5 – 7 gallons per flush! These current eco-friendly models work great, unlike their predecessors.
- Install a faucet aerator that can conserve water while maintaining the perceived water pressure.
- Install a low-flow showerhead. Similar to an aerator, your pressure will feel the same while reducing the water coming out.
- Only wash laundry loads and dishwasher loads when the machine is full. If you only have a few dishes to clean, quickly wash them by hand with a bit of soap and a quick rinse.
- Wash clothes with cold water. They don’t need hot water to be cleaned properly. Hang all the clothes you can on indoor dry racks during cold weather and hang them outside in the sun in warmer temperatures.
- Get reusable grocery bags and totes to use for all kinds of shopping. If you drive, keep some in your trunk so you’ll have them whenever needed. If you don’t drive, keep them near your shopping list or shoes or somewhere else they’re sure to be seen.
- Replace all light bulbs with LEDs. They can save you up to thousands of dollars in energy over their long lifespan of about 10 years. You can frequently find sales for LEDs at hardware or grocery stores, as there are sometimes government incentives and rebates available.
- Regularly check your fixtures and plumbing for leaks and give us a call if you need repairs or preventative maintenance. Even small leaks can lead to expensive and potentially dangerous water damage. Mould can be a serious problem if it gets wet and spreads.
- Insulate your pipes and water heater in the home. Pipes can wear down, break, or crack in cold temperatures. Your water heater will work extra hard if the surrounding area is cold. Look for pipe insulation foam or bubble covers at the hardware store.
- Check the accuracy of your thermostat and water heater readings.
- Enjoy tap water with a water filter and drink from reusable bottles or glasses instead of plastic bottles. Insulated bottles are great for keeping water cool all day.
- Use homemade cleaning solutions to avoid washing dangerous chemicals and toxins down the drain. Drain cleaner is particularly harsh, and clogged drains can be snaked mechanically by professionals. Flush your drains periodically with a full kettle or pot of boiling water to encourage any blockages to move along.
- Collect rainwater in a rain barrel during above freezing temperatures that you can use to water your lawn, gardens, and plants. Keep the barrel empty during winter to avoid water freezing and breaking the barrel.
- Start composting! It’s easy to do if you own a house, and most apartment buildings have a green bin for the building these days. If not, you can request one from your landlord. If a smell tends to build-up frequently, store scraps in a reusable bag or container in the freezer.
- Check weather-stripping and caulking on exterior doors and windows and feel for drafts. This is a fairly inexpensive fix that will save a lot in heating and cooling costs.
- Use old clothes and towels as rags instead of using paper towels. Wash a full load to replenish your supply.
- Don’t leave chargers plugged in when you’re not using them and turn off your electronics when you’re finished. Chargers use energy when they’re plugged into the outlet, even if they aren’t currently attached to a device.
- Swap clothes regularly with friends and buy used and vintage often. Turn old clothes into cleaning rags for your home and car.
- Go paperless with your bills, books, newspapers, and more.
- Clean your refrigerator coils with a brush on a long handle to gently remove dust and build-up so it can run more efficiently.
- Cover your windows at night – you might not need blinds or curtains to cover all your windows for privacy reasons, but covering them will help keep the cold and the heat out.
For some more eco-loving tips for the home, check out this list.
If you’d like to learn about our professional plumbing services visit our site for a list of the repairs, maintenance, renovations, and installations we can help you with. We offer regular rates between 8 am to 8 pm 6 days a week and want to work around your schedule. We value your time and if we can’t make the appointment, we’ll give you $100 for the inconvenience. In case of an emergency, you can rely on us. We can be there any time of day or night, every day of the year. So, give us a call!
