April 22nd is known as “Earth Day,” and it’s a time when we are encouraged to look around us, at the world we live in, and think about what we can do to keep it a healthy, safer place.
The Earth, in many ways, is just like the home that we live inside, and taking care of your home, worrying about its welfare and the people inside it, is not too different from taking that same care and applying it to our world. There are a few things you can do right at home with your own plumbing that can help our environment, and maybe even save you some money.
Filter Your Water
For maximum convenience and safety, you can install a water filter in your home. This comes in a variety of different models. Larger systems are incorporated right into your home’s plumbing. Smaller ones can be installed right “on the tap,” and both have their advantages. If you’ve got an older home with lead pipes still in the construction, an on the tap solution can prevent that lead from getting into your drinking water.
Both types, however, will provide you with cleaner, better tasting, better smelling water that is safer for you to drink. It even strips out the chlorine that’s usually added to water for a better drinking experience.
Look At Your Carbon Footprint
Carbon dioxide is known as a “greenhouse gas,” which means that the more of it there is in the atmosphere, the more heat is retained by the Earth, and that’s how we get global warming. While we exhale CO2 naturally after breathing, there are many other ways this gas is created, including a lot of our manufacturing processes.
Your “carbon footprint” is a measurement of how much CO2 are personally responsible for creating, through your own actions, and through buying and using products that expend CO2. You can reduce your footprint through using “greener” products, and through buying products with a low carbon footprint when being manufactured.
Get a Tankless Water Heater for Your Home
If you’re looking to add value to your home, this is one way to do it, though it may seem expensive at first. Tankless water heaters warm the water directly in your pipes, rather than requiring a storage tank. This makes them much more efficient, and you can save up to $100 every year in utility bills alone thanks to this technology.
Use Eco-Friendly Plumbing Fixtures
The plumbing in your house can use water more efficiently, or it can, through the manufacturing process, not be resource intensive or environmentally harmful. Sometimes it’s both.
Try getting new plumbing fixtures, water efficient shower heads or low-flow toilets. Or else try a new fixture like a Vetrazzo countertop that uses recycled glass and is LEED certified. It can make a big difference.
We Can Make You Greener
Lambert Plumbing & Heating is ready to help you if want to go green. If you live in Vancouver, BC, and want some expert environmental plumbing help, call us at 604-734-0890. We can make your plumbing more efficient and more environmentally friendly.