Bathroom remodel in Bryan / College Station, by Stearns Design Build. Every bathroom we remodel has water conservation on our mind.

Bathroom remodel in Bryan / College Station, by Stearns Design Build. Every bathroom we remodel has water conservation on our mind.

How can you affect the 14% of energy used for Water Heating in your home?  

Tip #4 Conserve Water: Firstly, become aware of your overall household water use, and conserve water with low flow fixtures. Hot water is mostly used for showers, laundry and dish washing– focusing on efficient water use in these areas will help to reduce your energy spent on heating water.

  • Try to shorten your shower by a few minutes if possible.
  • In accordance with yesterday’s tip about appliance use, try to wash a majority of your clothes with cold water, reducing the amount of water heated. Adjust laundry load sizes to also help monitor the amount of water used.
  • Wash only full loads of dishes on an economy setting if one is available.
  • Explore water heating options that are more efficient! The traditional tank water heater, which has a store of water it is constantly reheating, isn’t the only option. For example, tankless/instant water heaters directly heat water on demand, on an as need basis. A solar water heater is a different option that uses sunlight to heat water. These can be active (with a pump) or passive. Solar water heaters are often used in conjunction with traditional tank heaters, which are a back up system for cloudy days as wells as a storage system.

Conserving water is on all of our minds, especially with the drought we’ve been going through in the Brazos area. Water conservation is actually one of College Station’s green goals –find out more about it here.

These are the average annual percentages of energy use in a home in case this is your first glance at the blog series:

29% Heating

17% Cooling

14% Water Heating

13% Appliances

12% Lighting

4% Electronics

11% Other (external power adapters, telephones, set up boxes, ceiling fans, vent fans, home audio, ovens, microwaves, small appliances etc. Basically all the little things plugged in around your home)