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Owning a home is not for the faint of heart. When something goes wrong, you don't have the luxury of calling a landlord to handle the matter. Instead, you are left to find a solution all on your own. However, being a homeowner doesn't mean you have to break the bank to keep your house in working order. Instead, you can make some cost-effective plumbing upgrades that can help you save money while increasing your home's resale or rent value.
As you decide on the right enhancements for your home, review our top four money-saving plumbing upgrades to make in 2024.
Older shower heads usually have tiny cracks or grime that can rust over time, creating gaps that cause leaks. Even a slow leak can waste hundreds of gallons of water in a single year. Since these older models also have a higher flow rate than newer models, they'll produce more water than you need and raise your water bills.
To solve a leaking or inefficient shower head, replace it with a modern model with strong spraying power that doesn't use as much water. For example, some newer shower heads reduce water usage by up to 60%, resulting in serious savings on your water bills. Don't let water constantly leaking from the shower cause money to leak from your wallet—install new shower heads instead!
Another great money-saving idea is to install a low-flow faucet in the kitchen. If you haven't replaced your kitchen faucets in a while, the hardware inside them has likely worn down. This wear can corrode your faucets and cause them to leak. Mineral deposits also build up on a faucet's internal parts, decreasing the faucet's efficiency. Besides the potential for wear, older faucets aren't water efficient and may use three to seven gallons of water each minute.
Since older kitchen faucets typically use a lot of water, you can likely benefit from upgrading your kitchen faucets with low-flow models. A low-flow model reduces water flowing through the tap, lowering your total water usage. In fact, the newer models can reduce water usage by 2.2 gallons per minute. This significant drop in water usage means you can save money on water bills and make your kitchen more attractive to potential buyers.
Of all the rooms in the home, guess which has the highest water usage? If you answered, "the bathroom," you're right. Showers, sinks, and bathtubs all use water, but one fixture gets more use than the others and can drain your pockets.
Every time a conventional toilet is flushed, it uses around 3.6 gallons. However, the new low-flow models bring that number down to 1.6 gallons. That's two gallons of water being saved during each flush. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that most families will save 13,000 gallons of water and a little more than $140 each year with a low-flow toilet.
If you're still using a tanked water heater, it's time to consider trading it in for a tankless version. With the storage water heater system, you must wait for it to be filled with water. Next, the water is then heated and stored until needed. Electricity or gas is used to keep the water hot, which means energy is constantly being drained to ensure you have hot water.
However, a tankless water heater is much more energy efficient as it uses high-powered burners to heat the water quickly as it goes through a heat exchanger. That's why it's also known as an on-demand water heater.
When switching to a tankless system, you'll pay more for equipment and installation than a traditional storage tank system. However, it's worth it in the end. The lifetime savings are more significant, and you always have hot water when you need it.
If you're looking for fast home upgrades near you in Sacramento or the surrounding areas, turn to Boyd Plumbing. At Boyd, our experienced technicians are trained to recognize and solve your issues as quickly as possible so that you can get back to taking care of the things that matter to you most. We'll install new fixtures and equipment that will improve your home's value and keep your money where it belongs—in your pocket. You can also review our coupons to save even more money on plumbing upgrades and services.
Learn more about our plumbing services today. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment, please call us at (916) 710-8070 or use our online form.