8LF | THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2020 | THE RECORD
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE RECORD
Homescape
INTERIOR DESIGN ❚ HOME IMPROVEMENT
LIVING GREEN
Innovations in bathroom
fixtures save water, energy
By FRAN J. DONEGAN
SPECIAL TO HOMESCAPE
Thanks to advancements
in insulation, heating and
cooling equipment, and
lighting, our homes use
less energy today than they did
in the past. As a result, there are
now “green” products for every
room in the house, especially
bathrooms. And anyone planning
a bathroom remodel can make a
significant environmental impact,
while saving on water and utility bills.
Just about every fixture in
the bathroom comes in a watersaving
version. “But most clients
have no idea about what is available,”
says Peter Salerno of Peter
Salerno Inc., a design build firm
in Wyckoff. “They say things like
a toilet is a toilet, what’s the big
deal? But once I start explaining
to them that there are different
options available, I find that conservation
is important to people
both for the environment and the
cost savings.”
In a recent survey, the National
Kitchen and Bath Association
asked its bathroom professional
members to name the elements
that will help future designs limit
the environmental impact of new
and remodeled bathrooms. Items
that were named as solutions over
65 percent of the time included low
water use toilets, low-flow faucets
and showerheads, energy-efficient
ventilation fans and LED lighting.
TOILETS RE-IMAGINED
It was not so long ago that the
standard toilet used six or seven
gallons per flush. In fact, many
of those water hogs can still be
found in today’s bathrooms. But
toilets manufactured in the past
few years use about 1.6 gallons
on average per flush. While toilets
that meet WaterSense criteria
use even less. WaterSense is an
Environmental Protection Agency
voluntary program that promotes
water-saving products.
“There are products coming
out that use even less water
than mandated by government
or building codes, even “green”
building codes,” says Brian
Maffia of GPS (General Plumbing
Supply), headquartered in Edison.
Dual-flush toilets offer another
way to conserve water. These
fixtures have two buttons. One is
for liquid waste that requires only
0.8 gallons per flush. The other is
for solid waste that uses a full 1.6
gallons. “That equates to 20 to 60
percent less water or about 13,000
gallons per year,” says Salerno.
WATER-STINGY FAUCETS
Showers are often at the center
of bathrooms designed to provide
a spa-like experience. Many feature
rainfall shower heads, handheld
shower faucets with multiple
settings and body jets, and all are
intended to pamper the user. But
shower faucets often account for
as much as 20 percent of a household’s
water use.
Up until 1994, shower faucets
could provide as much as eight
gallons of water used per minute
(GPM). Today though, shower faucets
are limited to 2.5 GPM and
vanity faucets are capped at 2.2
GPM. But there are faucets that
use even less water. WaterSense
showers must use less than 2
GPM, and vanity faucets are
limited to 1.5 GPM, a 30-percent
reduction over standard faucets.
The newest low-flow faucets
and showerheads mix air with
the water stream to create a true
soaking experience.
“Aerators allow air to go into
the showerhead creating the effect
of more water coming through,”
says Salerno. “If you have the same
experience while saving water,
why not do that? The feeling is that
the flow is equal, but it is actually
20- to 30-percent less water.”
Because of aeration, the reduction
in water flow is not really
noticeable while showering. “You
wouldn’t notice the difference until
you tried to fill up a bucket and saw
how slowly it filled,” says Maffia.
VENTILATION FANS
In order to remove moisture,
bathrooms should have exhaust
fans that vent to the outside. But
proper sizing of the fan is important,
as is the correct way to use
the fan. It should be running during
a shower, as well as for 20 to 30
minutes after the shower is complete
to clear the room of moisture.
Energy Star-rated fans use less
Many modern bathrooms today are designed with dual-flush toilets,
aerated showerheads and faucets, and LED lighting fixtures.
electricity than standard models.
Energy Star is a program of the
Environmental Protection Agency
that promotes energy-saving
products. Energy Star fans with
lighting are rated to save as much
as 70 percent of the energy used
by standard fans with lighting.
LED LIGHTING
LED lighting uses up to 90-
percent less energy than the standard
incandescent light bulb, and
it lasts up to 15 times longer. LED
fixtures have been used in bathrooms
for some time, especially in
recessed lighting fixtures. And as
the bulbs and lighting quality have
improved, LED is used in vanity
and makeup mirrors, as well.
One emerging trend is to
incorporate LED into medicine
cabinet mirrors. When the mirror
is touched, the perimeter lights
up. “These take the place of side
sconces and give a sleek look that
everyone wants,” says Salerno.
NELLEG/GETTY IMAGES
WATER HEATERS
Most homes have a large water
heater that holds from 45 to 80
gallons of water. The water is kept
at warm temperatures 24/7 and
energy is used to heat the water
whether you are showering, sleeping
or away from home on vacation.
But there is an alternative
that can save 10 to 34 percent
of the energy used. Tankless, or
on-demand, water heaters supply
hot water only when it is needed.
There is no storage tank and
unlike a traditional water heater
that can run out of hot water, ondemand
units keep producing hot
water for as long as you need it.
“Think of a four-person family
who have an 80-gallon water
heater,” says Maffia. “That is fine
when everyone lives there, but if
the kids leave then only two people
live there and you are still heating
80 gallons of water all day, all year.
That’s a huge waste of energy.”
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