Bathrooms are an integral component of your home that serves a necessary part of our lives. Without proper waste management, there would be frequent outbreaks of deadly diseases, such as cholera and dysentery, like we saw before the advent of modern plumbing. It keeps us healthy and our planet healthy as well. In return, there are simple measures we can take to conserve this planet for future generations.In our on-going blog series about improvements you can make in your bathroom plumbing in order to reduce your carbon footprint, we’ve examined the shower, the faucets, and your toilet. Today, we’ll take a hard look at something that you’ve probably overlooked — your bathroom lighting.Choice Plumbing is proud to be your Orlando plumber of choice, offering stellar plumbing solutions for your bathroom, kitchen, basement, and all areas in and around your home. Contact us today to get started!

SIMPLE BATHROOM PLUMBING UPGRADES TO SAVE YOU MONEY

Bathtub

While we took an in-depth look at your shower, we haven’t discussed the bathtub. Bathtubs can use a lot of water, especially if filled all the way up. In fact, your average bathtub can hold up to 80 gallons of water. That being said, your typical bath uses between 30 and 50 gallons of water. In comparison, your average shower of about 10 minutes uses about 25 gallons of water. Most people take infrequent baths as it is. However, if you are a fan of long showers, then you are using considerably more than a bathtub in terms of water and heating costs.Your Orlando plumber, Choice Plumbing, notes that a lot of people are choosing to install a shower only in their newly built homes in order to save space and save energy. However, a bath every now and then is something you should indulge in, and if you have small children, they love to splash in bathtubs, which are easier for them to use and clean themselves in.While we don’t recommend the “ditch the bathtub,” trend, there are environmentally-friendly options you can partake in. One is just not to take baths. Two is that you can add in a steam shower into your shower stall. A steam shower can provide important health benefits similar to a bath, such as relaxation and an improved overall well-being, and it uses only three gallons of water. You’ll still be using energy, however, just not as much as your bath would.

OFTEN-OVERLOOKED BATHROOM ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

Lighting

One incredibly simple switch you can make in your bathroom to save you money is to install LED lighting. While a bit pricer up front than traditional incandescent lighting, LED lighting lasts significantly longer and uses significantly less energy than traditional light bulbs. You can also cut down on the number of lights you do have in your bathroom as often we have more lights than we need.One way to do this that is not only energy efficient but could also overall increase the value of your home is to install multiple switches for different lights. That way, you can choose to only have partial lighting or full lighting just by a flip of your wrist. Installing timers on your bathroom lighting especially, which is the most frequently left light on in your home, can do wonders for your electric bill. You can even have touchless sensors installed that will automatically turn on and off lights for you. These are great alternatives, especially if you have little children who have a hard time reaching the light switch.Our final lighting tip your local Orlando plumber, Choice Plumbing, has to offer has to do with the bathroom mirror. Many of us turn on all of our bathroom lights just to see clearly in the bathroom mirror. You can install a lighted mirror on its own switch that will do a much better job than your overhead light ever could.

OFTEN-OVERLOOKED BATHROOM ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

What About Your Electrical Tools?

In the bathroom, you likely have a lot of electrical tools at your disposal: hair dryer, curling iron, straightener, electric shaver, or an electric toothbrush. A lot of these items stay on, even when turned off, which is usually indicated by a glowing light somewhere. Much like your computer and cell phone, many of these essentials still draw electricity even when powered off in a phenomenon now known as vampire energy since they suck energy while you are unaware. It’s a good idea (especially around a sink with water or a bathtub) to always unplug these electrical devices when not in use. A simple way to do this, one that your Orlando plumber, Choice Plumber, has found to be quite effective and easy is to install an electrical strip to plug in all of your electrical devices into. That way, with one switch, you can turn off every electronic device in your bathroom easily.

The Fan

The job of the fan in your bathroom is to remove odors and moisture. It is often located on its own switch in older homes. While we all love fans, your Orlando Plumber, Choice Plumbing, notes that a lot of the time these guys get left on, and they can be major culprits of energy use. There are various solutions, some of which we’ve mentioned in this series. You can put your fan on a timer, so it will automatically shut off if you forget to do so. If you are remodeling your bathroom or you are a builder constructing new homes, there are energy-efficient fans that can be installed as well that will still get the job done.

THE CHOICE PLUMBING ADVANTAGE IN ORLANDO

Your Orlando plumber, Choice Plumbing, understands that you have a lot of options for plumbers. However, our mission is to take care of our customers as if they were family, which we hope you’ll become! We offer a customer service guarantee, true professionalism, care for your home by cleaning up after our plumbing job, and fair and upfront pricing. When you call us, a professional plumber answers the phone, giving you instant peace of mind no matter what plumbing crisis you are dealing with. If you have a plumbing emergency, there is no extra fee. We understand that pipes will do what they want, no matter if it’s Sunday morning. We respect your time and attend to your plumbing problem expertly and efficiently.Choice Plumbing offers Orlando residents a VIP membership package, which for one low yearly price, includes maintenance and service benefits that’s hard to find elsewhere. So many of the plumbing problems that we see that can be pricey, from sump pump malfunctions to slab leak repair, could have been avoided with regular plumbing maintenance. Choose Choice Plumbing in Orlando for all of your plumbing solutions today!