Inefficient Insulation Is a Major Cause To Loss Of Energy In Your Home: Save Your Money, Instead, By Cutting Down on Water Usage in 5 Easy Steps
As of late, Sacramento residents and those living in surrounding areas are acutely aware how essential it is to keep water usage to an absolute minimum. Governor Jerry Brown has made it quite clear that restrictions aren’t just a good practice any longer; water restrictions are, for the first time ever, mandatory for California residents.
Combined with his recently announced goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions, now it is more important than ever before to consider efficiency upgrades that will save you (and your state) water and energy.
If you’re looking to cut down on water usage, here are a few essential tips that are more than worth sticking to:
1. Insulate Your Water Pipes
Keeping your hot water tank from losing is easier said than done, but making sure the pipes are insulated is the best place to start. Insulation here will prevent unnecessary heat loss for your hot water, costing you less energy (and water) to keep your water warm. In the long run, insulation will help to save you both money and water.
2. Consider Low-Flow Upgrades
The flow rate of your home’s faucets and showerheads can have an immense impact on how much water you use each day. Low-flow upgrades help to improve efficiency without disrupting your experience, and they’re inexpensive enough to install, making this upgrade a realistic one for lots of Foothills homeowners.
3. Shorten Showers
Long, hot showers can certainly be relaxing, but they can also play a major role in a water shortage. Showers don’t have to belong to be effective, and by shaving off just a few minutes from their length, you’ll help conserve this precious resource.
4. Cold-Wash Your Clothes
One of the biggest wastes of water comes in the form of washing your clothing in hot water instead of cold. It makes sense if you have excessively dirty clothing to deal with, but in almost all cases, cold-washing your clothes is perfectly sufficient for getting them clean.
Plus, you’ll save quite a bit of energy in the process, as 90% of the energy expended in washing clothes goes to heating the water.
Using a cold cycle can save around 1,600 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year. Using cold water for hand-washing clothes, dishes, and even your hands can save water, too, since you’re not running the tap until the water warms up.
5. Check for Leaks
Many people don’t even realize that they have small leaks in their faucets or toilets. Over time, even the smallest of leaks can add up to cause excessive amounts of water loss—hundreds of gallons per year, even. Conducting a professional inspection for leaks is essential to ensuring that if there is a problem, it can be remedied quickly.
Start with an Energy Audit
While all of the above tips can help you to keep water usage down to a minimum, everything starts with a California Energy Services energy audit, a diagnostic test that will help to pinpoint inefficient areas in your home that need a boost.
Ready to help conserve California’s precious water? Give us a call to learn more about effective measures for your Folsom-area home. Also, be sure to read about the rebates and financing programs we participate in that will make your upgrades even more conveniently affordable.
