WAYS TO SAVE MONEY, WATER, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

HOW HOME PLUMBING SYSTEMS WORK

HOW TANKLESS HOT WATER HEATERS WORK

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNES—PROTECT YOUR HOME

GREENING THE BATH AND KITCHEN

PEX TUBING

Ways to Save
Money • Water • Energy • The Environment
It's time to go beyond switching out a lightbulb.

Whether you fix a leaky faucet, replace your water-wasting showerhead or toilet, upgrade to a tankless hot water heater, or install a hot water recirculating system, you can save water and energy, lower your utility bills, and make a better choice for your environment. In some cases you can even qualify for government and PG& E rebates of up to $1500.00. See below for more information.

SAVE MONEY

Installing energy and water efficient appliances don’t just help save the environment, they save you money. The less water and electricity you use, the lower you bills. Plus see the money saving tax credits and rebates below.

Federal Tax Credits up to $1500
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed on February 17, 2009, by President Obama has made significant changes to homeowner tax credits for specified energy-efficient home improvements including qualifying, residential water heaters. Some of the more significant changes include the extension of the tax credit through 2010 and the increase in the total available tax credit from 10% to 30%.

Homeowners who purchase and install a qualifying tankless water heater between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010 will now be eligible for a tax credit equal to 30% of the full purchase and installation price up to a maximum of $1500. For more specific information go directly to Rinnai or Takagi, two brands we work with, to learn which models qualify and for how much.

Rebates

PG & E

Kohler

SAVE WATER

Up to 40% of a households water is used in the toilet and bathroom. You can choose from a range of water efficient plumbing products to improve your home's water efficiency.

Toilets
Toilets are perhaps the biggest water wasting appliance in your household. Around 20% of all water used in a house is flushed down the toilet. Upgrading an old toilet to a new water efficient system can make a huge difference to your household water consumption.

1. An old toilet system can use up to 12 litres of water per flush. New water efficient toilets used around 4 litres.
2. Replacing a single flush toilet with a dual flush system saves around 51 litres a day, or 10% of our daily water usage.
3. A single flush toilet costs three times as much as a dual flush toilet to maintain over a 10 year period.

Showers
Reducing your shower time is one of the best ways to save water, but installing water efficient shower heads is also a great way to cut your water consumption.

1. Standard shower heads use 15-25 litres of water a minute. Water efficient shower heads use 6-7 litres per minute.
2. Over the course of a year, an energy efficient shower head will save 14,500 litres of water per household.
3. Gas hot water costs for a standard shower head are almost double that of a water efficient shower head.
   

Saving tap water
A running tap uses around 16 litres of water a minute. A leaking tap can waste up to 30-200 litres a day. Try the following tips to avoid wasting tap water:

1. Install water efficient taps and fix any leaking taps immediately.
2. Never leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.
3. Never leave the tap running while you shave.
4. Never wash your dishes using a running tap.
   

Other water conservation tips

1. When buying new appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines, look for those with the highest WELS rating (a water efficiency measurement). The most efficient appliances use 50-67% less water than older models.
2. Check for evidence of water and toilet leaks regularly. A good way to do so is by checking the water meter while all appliances, taps and toilets are not in use. If your meter is turning, this can indicate a water leakage.

Water Saving Tips from Kohler

SaveWaterAmerica.com

SAVE ENERGY

PG & E Energy Saving Tips

Tankless water heaters require no pilot light and can save about half the cost of your current water heating bill since there is no re-heating of water as with traditional water heaters. Compared to a tank water heater's 60% efficiency, an 83%-94% energy-efficiency levels make tankless water heaters much more economical and eco-friendly.

Noritz "6 Reasons for Going Tankless"

Rinnai "Advantages of Tankless Water Heaters"

SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT

PG & E Energy Saving Tips

Noritz "Tankless is Green"

Rinnai "Get the Green Advantage"

Takagi "Eco Friendly"

How Home Plumbing Systems Work

If you have ever gone camping for a weekend, you know it doesn’t take long to miss running water, flushing toilets, clean clothes, and hot showers. These modern conveniences and more are the benefits of plumbing systems. Your house has several separate plumbing systems. Water-supply pipes bring pressurized water from the utility or a well to your house, where it is piped to sinks, toilets, washers, bathtubs, and related fixtures. Larger pipes drain waste and vent sewer gases. And many homes have piped-in natural gas for gas-burning appliances such as dryers and furnaces. In an emergency, you should know how to turn off the water quickly before it ruins floors and walls. The main shutoff valve is located either outside where the main water supply enters, or just inside—particularly in cold climates. Turn the valve clockwise to shut it off. Call your utility company if the problem requires a valve between the street and the house to be shut off.

How Tankless Hot Water Heaters Work

1. A hot water tap is opened

2. The water enters the heater

3. A water flow sensor detects the water flow

4. The computer automatically ignites the burner

5. The water circulates through the heat exchanger (coil)

6. The heat exchanger instantly heats the water
at the designated temperature (this takes only 5 seconds)

7. The heater can provide you with endless hot water continuously

8. When the hot water tap is turned off, the unit shuts down automatically

Department of Energy Information

Demand (or instantaneous) water heaters eliminate the storage tank by heating water directly when there is a call for hot water. These units are experiencing a growing popularity in the U.S. The energy consumption of these units may be lower since standby losses from the storage tank are eliminated. Demand water heaters make the most sense in homes with natural gas and easily coordinated water requirements. Look for a model with electronic ignition to eliminate the energy consumed by a continuously burning pilot light.

Earthquake Preparedness—Protect Your Home!

INSTALL EARTHQUAKE SENSITIVE GAS SHUT-OFF VALVE

“Fire is our greatest threat to life and property after an earthquake. Gas shutoff devices stop the flow of fuel in a pipeline and virtually eliminate the threat of fire due to leakage from a break…” Cynthia Murray, Marin County Disaster Council

"An ordinance making Marin safer in an earthquake, requiring the installation of automatic shut off devices on new and remodeling projects…was approved by county supervisors…" Marin Independant Journal

INSTALL FLEXIBLE GAS CONNECTORS

Install flexible gas connectors on all gas appliances, including the water heater.

STRAP YOUR HOT WATER HEATER

Fasten your water heater securely to the wall studs with a strap or a strip of plumber's tape. If it tips over in an earthquake and the gas line breaks, it could cause an explosion and fire. You would also lose a valuable source of water.

Excerpt From: "Greening The Bath And Kitchen "

by Pat Lenius Bath & Kitchen Pro Winter 2008

HOW TO BE GREEN

There are a number of ways to make the bath and kitchen more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. According to the American Water Works Association (www.awwa.org), total tap water use (indoor and outdoor) in a typical single family home is about 101 gallons per capita per day, of which only 3% is used for drinking. Bathroom fixtures, washing machines, dishwashers, outdoor watering another uses consume the remaining 97%. In an average home, plumbing leaks account for about 14% of water consumed, AWWA reports.

A leaky faucet wastes as much as 2,700 gallons in a year, and a leaking toilet tank can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day, says Jane Bennet Clark on www.kiplinger.com.

Clark also suggests:

• Install a low-flow showerhead, which restricts water output to 2.5 gallons per minute or less. Some new fixtures go as low as 1.5 gpm, saving 7,300 gallons and $30 to $100 a year over their 2.5-gpm counterparts.
• Replace faucet aerators to reduce the gallons-per-minute water flow. Aerators come in a range of flow rates, up to 2.2 gpm. A faucet flow rate of 1 gpm is fine for the bathroom, but for the kitchen, a flow rate of at least 2 gpm is needed.

Graywater (wasteater from bathtubs, shower drains, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers) accounts for 60% of the outflow produced in homes, according to the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing. It contains little or no pathogens and 90% less nitrogen than black water (toilet water). Some toilets are equipped with systems that use graywater for flushing.

Kohler Co. says its Ingenium flushing system has a quiet, controlled flush that minimizes noise and splash. Its Power Lite power-assisted toilet uses an electric pump system for a powerful but quieter flush. A dual-flush option, which offers the choice of a 1-gallon flush for liquid waste or 1.4-gallon flush for bulk waste, can save the average household about 5,000 gallons of water per year, according to Kohler.

Australian sanitary ware manufacturer Caroma says the lower volume flush could be used four times more often than the higher volume flush in a typical application. Caroma says its dual-flush toilets can reduce water consumption by as much as 40% vs. todayÕs mandated low-flow toilets.

Moen has announced that by Jan. 1, 2009, it will transition to flow-optomized aerators — designed to use less water without sacrificing performance — on all Moen, ShowHouse and Cleveland Faucet Group bathroom faucets.

The Green Home Guide by the U.S. Green Building Council suggests that a green home use salvaged materials such as kitchen tiles and materials with significant recycled content and be equipped with energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and water heating systems.

Another green idea from the 2007 GreenBuild Expo: flooring products that contain recycled or renewable materials. GreenFloors offers plush carpeting made from recycled plastic food and soda bottles, and recycled nylon and carpet tiles made from old car tires, as well as bamboo, linoleum and cork flooring that come from rapidly renewable sources. EcoDomo LLC offers recycled leather tiles for flooring.

Fore more information on green building, visit www.usgbc.com.

Pex Tubing

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FEATURES

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ADVANTAGES

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Call today for a free estimate 415-456-4554