These days more and more people are becoming advocates for the environment. People see the need to make changes in their lifestyles to protect the planet. Every day we are reminded that the longer we go on without changing our habits. The more likely we will cause irreversible damage to the Earth. So many people think that trying to live a more eco-friendly and sustainable life is a hassle. But what people don’t understand is that you don’t have to change your entire lifestyle to help. You have to try to learn to live more sustainably, even a little bit, because it’s more helpful to the planet if every single person on Earth tried to live bit by bit sustainably. Rather than just one person changing their entire lifestyle.
That said, there are plenty of ways a person can live more sustainably. Whether by practicing the BYOB policy and CLAYGO, planting more trees, or going vegan, everyone can do something to help the planet. And if you happen to be reading this article. It means you’ve decided to take your sustainable lifestyle to the next level by doing an eco-friendly bathroom fitting or remodel. Now, if you don’t know where to start your project, don’t worry. Listed down below is everything you’ll need to turn your bathroom into an eco-friendly one:
Replace your toilet with a dual flush toilet.
A dual flush toilet has two flushing mechanisms, a low volume and a high-volume flush. The low-volume flush releases fewer amounts of water (1.1 gallons) which is great for liquid wastes. The high-volume flush releases more water, around 1.4 gallons. Making it more water-wise than a typical single flush toilet. A conventional toilet built around the 90s uses 3.5 gallons of water per flush. The dual flush toilet is considered a High-Efficiency Toilet (HET). Compared to a conventional toilet, a dual flush toilet has a great advantage when saving water.
Get an eco-friendlier showerhead.
The usual showerhead can use up to 10 gallons of water per use. That’s around 2.5 gallons per minute. Switching your showerhead to a low-flow or energy-saving showerhead can cut your water usage to 2 gallons per minute. Some ultra-low-flow showerheads can even go as low as 0.5 gallons per minute.
Add an aerator to your sink’s faucet.
If your sink’s faucet doesn’t have an aerator, you should get one for it as soon as possible. Although some people believe an aerator’s purpose is to catch debris. Its main purpose is really to conserve water and energy by mixing air with the flowing water. This way, less water comes out of your faucet, and you get better water pressure too.
Install an energy-efficient water heater.
Although most water heaters aren’t installed in your bathroom, it’s still connected to your bathroom. And it uses up a lot of energy too. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, around 18% of your energy consumption goes to water heating. A tankless water heater uses less energy than a conventional gas storage unit, around 22% less. Condensing storage water heaters are another energy-efficient water heater option, and solar water heaters are said to cut your water heating energy consumption by half.
Try Energy Star exhaust fans.
Ventilation inside the bathroom is important. Hence, you should install an energy-saving exhaust fan for your eco-friendly bathroom. To know if an exhaust fan is energy-efficient, look for the Energy Star logo.
Bring in more natural light.
You can cut more of your energy consumption by letting in more natural light into your bathroom. You can do so by installing a skylight or a roof window. Or you can have a window right beside your shower with some frosted glass for privacy. The more natural light you let into your bathroom. The less energy you waste on turning on your bathroom lights, especially in the morning. You’ll only have to turn on the lights at night.
Switch light bulbs to LED.
If your light bulbs are still fluorescent or incandescent, switch them out to LED. LED lights are the best lighting option on the market. They’re cheap, durable, long-lasting, and brighter. Plus, they use much less energy than fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs.
There are plenty of ways you can make your bathroom eco-friendly. And it’s cheaper to get it done than you think. But if you can’t afford to make all these changes to your bathroom. The main thing you have to keep in mind is to learn how to save more water and energy. That means learning how to limit your consumption.
