April 22 is Earth Day: Green Tips for Your Home

Most people these days care about the environment, and Earth Day is partially to thank for that. First observed back in 1970, Earth Day is an annual international day of observance created to draw attention to environmental destruction. It's purpose is to raise awareness and help put an end to eco-destructive practices. Earth Day, which takes place every year on April 22, is just as important now as it ever was. Here are a few tips from our team that you can use around the house to help celebrate Earth Day this year and every year.

Green Tip 1: Go Carbon-Footprint Free

Reducing your carbon footprint is a great way to celebrate Earth Day this year. Things you can do around the house to cut down on your carbon footprint include:

• Take steps to decrease your water and energy use
• Add more insulation to your house to reduce the amount of money and energy required to heat and cool your home
• Upgrade to energy- and water-efficient models when it’s time to replace old appliances and fixtures
• Ride your bike, carpool, or take the bus instead of driving
• Recycle things you can reuse and reuse things you can find other uses for
• Invest in green energies like solar and wind
• Replace incandescent lights with LEDs or CFLs

Green Tip 2: Go Water-Efficient

Plumbing is one of the miracles of modern living, but when toilets and faucets were invented, people weren't thinking about water conservation. But in the last several years, water-saving and water-efficient toilets, faucets, and shower heads have been introduced and perfected.

These drastically reduce the amount of water used in the bathroom and kitchen. With low-flow toilets and water-smart fixtures, you can save over 5 gallons of water per flush, up to 5.5 gallons of water per minute in the shower, and nearly a gallon per minute at the taps.

Green Tip 3: Go Tankless

Tankless water heaters are the best option for anybody looking to replace their old water heater: they waste less energy, they save money, they never run out of hot water, and they last almost twice as long as storage-tank water heaters.

Traditional water heaters waste about 20 percent of the energy they use through standby loss. Eventually, that takes a toll on the environment and your wallet. Tankless models, on the other hand, use about 30 percent less energy, and they guarantee that you'll always have hot water available.

Green Tip 4: Go Water Filter

A whole-home water filtration system can save you thousands of dollars per year on bottled water, not to mention taking a big chunk out of your carbon footprint.

Bottled water is extremely detrimental to the environment, for a number of reasons:

• Plastic bottles need millions of barrels of oil to produce
• Only one in five bottles gets recycled
• There are over 2 million tons of water bottles in landfills today, and each one takes about 1,000 years to break down
• Roughly 3 liters of water is needed to produce a single liter of bottled water

With a filtration system, you can reduce your plastic waste, cut your water costs, and provide clean and safe water for your whole home, including in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room.

For more help or information in the Oxford, NC area, call our Flow Master Plumbing & Pump Service, Inc. team at 919-693-9221.