Choosing plumbing products
Bathroom products
The most important thing is to choose products with a high star rating. Focus especially on the shower and toilet, as these, along with the washing machine, are the top water users inside a home.
| Good choices | Litres saved each year* |
|---|---|
| 3-star shower | up to 12,000 litres |
| 4-star toilet | 15,000 litres |
* compared to the average use in homes
You can now get a 5-star toilet which has a basin over
the cistern. When you wash your hands, the water fills
the cistern and is reused for flushing the toilet. It not
only saves water, but is a great space-saver too. If you
want to save even more water, consider a waterless
toilet.
[See Your Home: Reducing water demand;
Low impact toilets.]
Plumbing
Environmentally friendly plumbing options, such as polyethylene pipes, are now available. See ecospecifier for more information. Hot water pipes, including plastic pipes, should be insulated ('lagging').
Hot water systems
Water heating is responsible for more than a quarter of the average home's energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. An electric storage system can be responsible for up to half of a home's greenhouse gas emissions.
'Our new solar water heater has slashed our energy bills.'
Installing an efficient 'low greenhouse' hot water system can significantly reduce emissions and add value to your home.
Step 1 is to use less hot water by installing water efficient showerheads, taps and appliances. Shorter and smaller diameter pipes can also cut down on wasted energy and water.
If you can't locate your system close to where the hot water is used, install a device to recirculate on-demand the water that's gone cold in the pipes.
Gas-boosted solar systems generally have the lowest greenhouse emissions, and standard electric storage the highest. High efficiency (5+ star) gas storage and instantaneous units, heat pumps and electric solar have very similar emissions, but this varies slightly depending on where you live. The best choice of system depends on several things:
- whether you have gas
- whether you have good sunshine for a solar system
- how much hot water you use
- how much space you have, and, of course, the budget.
Solar and heat pumps are usually a bit more expensive but rebates are available to bring down the cost.
Use the chart below to help you decide which systems
to consider. It takes the initial cost into account as well
as running cost. It is for general guidance only. You
should seek expert advice to make the best decision.
If you are primarily interested in minimising greenhouse
emissions, choose a heat pump or electric-boosted
solar run on 100% renewable electricity, such as
GreenPower, or gas-boosted solar.
[See Your Home:
Hot water service.]
|
Which hot water system should I buy? | 1-2 people | 3 people | 4 people | 5+ people | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas | No gas | Gas | No gas | Gas | No gas | Gas | No gas | |
| Gas 5-star storage |  | | ||||||
| Gas 5-star instantaneous | | | | |||||
| Heat pump | | | | | | | ||
| Solar electric^ | | | | | ||||
| Solar gas^ | | | | |||||
^ If you have good sunshine on your roof
* Especially if you don¡¦t have good sunshine on your roof
