How to “Green” Your Bathroom

There are many reasons to make your home more green. Whether you are interested in going green to help the planet, whether you want to make our nation more energy independent, or whether your motivation is to save money, the bottom line is that going green is beneficial. Many people think about choosing energy efficient appliances for their kitchen or washer and dryers but one area of the home that is often overlooked is the bathroom. By going green in your bathroom, you can help the planet, and put a little extra money in your pocket. In this economy, we are all interested in saving money wherever we can. There are a lot of practical ways to “green” your bathroom. The first, and possibly most significant, way you can go green in the bathroom is to reduce your water consumption. One practical way to reduce water consumption that costs you no money is to simply take shorter showers. Showers are the more efficient choice in terms of water consumption over baths, but showers can still use a lot of water. By reducing your time in the shower by just a few minutes, you can save a lot of money in the long run. Another way to reduce water consumption is to put an aerator on your faucets. An aerator will reduce the amount of water you use in a given period of time and help save overall. Additionally, you can install a low flow shower head. By installing a low flow shower head you can cut your water consumption in half! This will result in huge savings each month! Another simple solution that many people overlook is the turn the faucet off when you are brushing your teeth. By letting the water run while your brush your teeth you are literally letting money go straight down the drain. A shocking statistic is that about 30% of home water use is actually in flushing the toilet. You can install a water saving toilet or a dual flush toilet and drastically reduce the amount of water you use each time you use the toilet. You will also want to ensure you fix any leaks. Those small drips may seem like no big deal, but overtime, they can add up to a lot of water and thus, a lot of money for you. These are all very practical and low cost options to help reduce water consumption and save you a lot of money. There are a few more practical ways to go green in the bathroom. You can use compact fluorescent or energy efficient light bulbs. By simply changing the light bulbs, a very low cost option, you can use significantly less energy to light your room. You can also install an energy efficient exfan. And lastly, you can install a solar powered water heater. More than 10% of homeowner’s energy bills comes from heating water. If nothing else, consider turning down the temperature on your water heater. You will likely not even notice the difference but it can mean big savings! In an economy where we are all just trying to put a little more money in our bank accounts, saving money by making simple changes is a great option. You also cannot put a price on doing something that is good for the environment and for the nation as a whole. These changes will cost very little and will take minimal time, but they will have a big impact on your wallet.]]>