Making eco-friendly choices is not just about buying organic. There are so many things that you can do to reduce your impact on the planet. The bathroom is no exception. Previously, we covered going green in the bedroom and going green in the kitchen. Now we can examine one of the most frequently used rooms of the house.
Check out the following strategies that you can use to go green in the bathroom.
Water, Water Everywhere
The most obvious way to go green in this room is by saving water whenever possible. Take shorter showers. To do this, consider using a manual timer when you are in the shower, or even installing a permanent one that is mounted on the wall of your bathroom. Showers use less water than do baths. You can also install a timer directly on your wall, so it will be handy, visible and more likely to be used.
Go Cool
Shorter showers can save on fuel, because less energy is needed to heat less water. Heating and cooling are one of the biggest energy costs in your home, and heating water for showers is no exception. There are two interesting ways to save on water heating.
The first way is to install an instant hot water heater. This is a small heater that is dedicated just for one bathroom water source. It rapidly heats enough water for a shower or bath, reducing your overall water heating. Your main furnace won’t have to run all of time in order to have shower water at the ready. And you won’t waste a lot of water letting the shower run until the water heats.
The second way to save on water heating is to shut off your furnace in the hottest part of the summer. Take a cool shower. I’ve done this, and the water isn’t as cold as you might think. In fact, it the heat of the day, a cool shower feels refreshing. I wouldn’t suggest doing this in the winter, obviously!
Check back for the second part of this article!
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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