Cutting back on your home’s water consumption is one of the best ways you can help the environment while also saving money on your utility bills. One great way for San Francisco area homeowners to conserve water is to take advantage of the many water efficient plumbing fixtures that are available today.
Below is a list of some of the types of water efficient plumbing fixtures you can install in your home. When shopping for any of these, look for the WaterSense seal to ensure that it is an EPA-approved water efficient fixture.
- Low flow showerheads. The government requires any new faucet to have a maximum flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute, but showerheads are available at as low as 1.5 gpm. Switching to low flow showerheads can save many homeowners between 25 and 60 percent on their water consumption.
- Water efficient faucets. The water you use from your faucets accounts for about 15 percent of your home’s water consumption. You can cut that portion of your water bill down by 30 percent or more by investing in a water-efficient faucet.
- Low flow faucet aerators. One great inexpensive upgrade that homeowners can make is to install a water efficient aerator. An aerator is the tip that is screwed onto the end of the faucet. For the best efficiency, look for an aerator that restricts water flow to no more than 1.0 gpm.
- Low-flush toilets. Toilets account for about 30 percent of your home’s water consumption. One type of water efficient plumbing fixture that you can install to cut back on that portion of your water bill is a low-flush toilet. Current federal laws require new toilets to use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush, but models are available that use 20 percent less water than that.
- Dual flush toilets. Another type of toilet that saves homeowners a lot of water is a dual flush toilet. These toilets have two types of flushes, one for solid waste and one for liquid waste, where the liquid waste flush uses about half the amount of water than the solid waste flush. These toilets can save homeowners as much as 6,000-7,000 gallons of water a year.
If you have any questions about water efficient plumbing fixtures, or if you’d like a new plumbing fixture installed in your home, contact Cabrillo, your San Francisco plumbing, heating and cooling company. We service the San Francisco area and surrounding cities like Menlo Park, Moraga, Mountain View and Orinda.