Going green with a bathroom remodel is a growing consideration for many homeowners. Why should you consider going green on your bathroom remodel? Well, besides being good for the environment, it can create a healthier environment for you and others, while helping you save money on your utility bills. You may also qualify for some rebates, tax deductions and credits that are available both locally and at the federal level.
Here are some common sense tips for green bathroom remodeling:
Consider using low to VOC free (volatile organic compound) paints and sealants. These materials help make for a healthier house especially for those with respiratory problems. Using regular paint with high VOC’s can take quite a while to cure and months to fully air out your place
Make sure all exterior walls are adequately insulated to help prevent condensation from forming inside the walls that leads to mold & mildew growth. This will also help keep the cold air out during the winter (i.e. frozen pipes & a chilly bathroom). We at SLS Construction prefer using a Closed Cell product for many reasons; there are numerous other options available. Two popular “non-toxic insulation” options would be using insulation derived from materials like soybean or cotton.
Look for the EPA’s WaterSense label: The EPA has started a program called WaterSense, which is very similar to the EnergyStar program. There are three areas in the bathroom where you can really save some serious water using this program: the faucets, showerheads, & the toilet.
Install low-flow faucets and showerheads (.5 to 1.5 GPM as compared to 2.5+ GPM) and aerators to help reduce the amount of water used. The technology has come a long way in the last few years so that in most cases you cannot tell the difference until you get your water bill.
Install newer low-flow or dual-flush toilets. These toilets can function properly while using as little as half the water used by regular toilets used today. Dual-flush toilets offer the choice for a lighter flush or a more thorough flush as needed.
Look for the EnergyStar label and install energy efficient light fixtures along with CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs) in all your light fixtures. Not only will you replace light bulbs less often, you will use a fraction of the energy normally required. *** Humidity in the bathroom can shorten its life span, which brings us to our next topic
Install and use a properly sized bathroom vent and timer. A bathroom needs to be vented not only of offensive odors but to help eliminate the humidity. The vent should be running not only during your shower but also up to 15 minutes afterwards. The problems with just using a regular switch is it normally gets turned off when you leave, or forgotten leading to more conditioned air being exhausted than is required.
Replace older windows in a bathroom with a properly installed energy efficient window, or consider adding a Solatube® or similar type of skylight for natural lighting.
Consider the use of an on demand hot water recirculation pump, if the bathroom is located far from the houses hot water heater. This will prevent the waste generated from leaving the water on while you wait for it to heat up.
If you are into taking long baths in a whirlpool or soaker tub, consider installing or buying a product with an in-line water heater. This allows you to re-heat the water in the tub, saving both power and water.
Are your old vanity, sinks, and faucets in good shape? Consider donating them to an organization like Habitat for Humanity, or selling them to others.
There are many other popular “green” options out there including using recycled products, hardwoods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, using wood from rapidly renewable sources like cork and bamboo, etc… If you are interested in these area’s make sure you do plenty of research and find a reliable contractor that can turn your dreams and vision into a reality.
Toilets account for approx. 30% of water used indoors. By installing a Dual Flush toilet you can save between 40% and 70% of drinking water being flushed down the toilet, depending how old the toilet is you are going to replace.
If you are serious about saving water, want a toilet that really works and is affordable, I highly recommend installing a Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. On an average of 5 uses a day (4 liquid/ 1 solid) a Caroma Dual Flush toilet uses an average of 0.96 gallons per flush. The new Sydney Smart uses only 1.28 and 0.8 gpf, that is an average of 0.89 gallons per flush. This is the lowest water consumption of any toilet available in the US. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5″ trapway, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s (High Efficiency toilets) http://www.epa.gov/watersense/product_search.html and also qualify for several toilet rebate programs available in the US. Please visit my blog https://pottygirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/what-you-should-know-about-toilets/
to learn more or go to http://www.caromausa.com to learn where you can find Caroma toilets locally. Visit to see how we flush potatoes with 0.8 gallons of water, meant for liquids only. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli
As an electrician, I’d like to expand upon some of the points made here. The solar tube lights are incredible, but find a contractor who is willing to thoughtfully locate them in the room. There are practical concerns, such as framing and electrical wiring to work around that may put it somewhere you don’t want it. While upgrading to compact fluorescent lighting, you may want to upgrade the fixture instead of using screw in bulbs. If your house is an older building, it was probably poorly lit to begin with, so homeowners will put in larger light bulbs than the fixtures were designed to handle and will put in oversized fuses. Depending upon the size of the wire feeding the circuit, only fifteen or twenty ampere fuses should be used for lighting circuits. This is also true for receptacle circuits, by the way. Every older house I have ever done service work in that has a fuse panel (no kidding, every one of them) has oversized fuses in them. It is like putting a penny in the fuse socket, which nobody would ever think of doing, but they put oversize fuses in there because (again, every one of them say this) “that’s what was in there when the last one blew, so I replaced it with the same size to be safe”. After the wiring is permitted to have more current than it was designed to handle because the fuse is too large, then the homeowner puts in two or three hundred watt light bulbs in a fixture that was designed to handle nothing greater than forty watt lamps (your typical home supply store fixture- they have stickers or labels that say so right on them!). The wiring literally cooks the insulation either to the point where it gets brittle and cracks or just plain melts off. Especially if you have an older home, have an electrician recommend a replacement and install it for you! Save money by doing your own painting if need be, it won’t burn your house down if you do it incorrectly! If you change the fixture to a fluorescent instead of using a screw in bulb, you increase the light available without adding to the demand on your wiring. Don’t skimp on this fixture, you will get what you pay for with them. If possible, get an energy star rated fixture with two compact fluorescent bulbs with their own ballasts. This way if one burns out you still have the other burning, and you can test the dead one with the bulb that works to determine if it’s a bad bulb or a bad ballast. You also have choices as to which “color” of light you prefer. Save your boxes, that way you get the same bulbs once you decide what color you like best. When you replace one bulb, give the new bulb time to “burn in” before you decide it isn’t the same color as the other one. I also agree with the timer for the exhaust fan- Intermatic makes some great and stylish looking time switches. Make sure your exhaust fan has a damper valve properly installed and the venting is correctly done. Finally, if your insulation was compacted or removed during the remodel, you might want to have it replaced when all the work is done. Again, hire a professional; insulation can cause a fire hazard if it is installed on certain types of older wiring and too close to certain types of recessed light fixtures. As an electrician, I’d like to expand upon some of the points made here. The solar tube lights are incredible, but find a contractor who is willing to thoughtfully locate them in the room. There are practical concerns, such as framing and electrical wiring to work around that may put it somewhere you don’t want it. While upgrading to compact fluorescent lighting, you may want to upgrade the fixture instead of using screw in bulbs. If your house is an older building, it was probably poorly lit to begin with, so homeowners will put in larger light bulbs than the fixtures were designed to handle and will put in oversized fuses. Depending upon the size of the wire feeding the circuit, only fifteen or twenty ampere fuses should be used for lighting circuits. This is also true for receptacle circuits, by the way. Every older house I have ever done service work in that has a fuse panel (no kidding, every one of them) has oversized fuses in them. It is like putting a penny in the fuse socket, which nobody would ever think of doing, but they put oversize fuses in there because (again, every one of them say this) “that’s what was in there when the last one blew, so I replaced it with the same size to be safe”. After the wiring is permitted to have more current than it was designed to handle because the fuse is too large, then the homeowner puts in two or three hundred watt light bulbs in a fixture that was designed to handle nothing greater than forty watt lamps (your typical home supply store fixture- they have stickers or labels that say so right on them!). The wiring literally cooks the insulation either to the point where it gets brittle and cracks or just plain melts off. Especially if you have an older home, have an electrician recommend a replacement and install it for you! Save money by doing your own painting if need be, it won’t burn your house down if you do it incorrectly! If you change the fixture to a fluorescent instead of using a screw in bulb, you increase the light available without adding to the demand on your wiring. Don’t skimp on this fixture, you will get what you pay for with them. If possible, get an energy star rated fixture with two compact fluorescent bulbs with their own ballasts. This way if one burns out you still have the other burning, and you can test the dead one with the bulb that works to determine if it’s a bad bulb or a bad ballast. You also have choices as to which “color” of light you prefer. Save your boxes, that way you get the same bulbs once you decide what color you like best. When you replace one bulb, give the new bulb time to “burn in” before you decide it isn’t the same color as the other one. I also agree with the timer for the exhaust fan- Intermatic makes some great and stylish looking time switches. Make sure your exhaust fan has a damper valve properly installed and the venting is correctly done. Finally, if your insulation was compacted or removed during the remodel, you might want to have it replaced when all the work is done. Again, hire a professional; insulation can cause a fire hazard if it is installed on certain types of older wiring and too close to certain types of recessed light fixtures.
Toilets account for approx. 30% of water used indoors. By installing a Dual Flush toilet you can save between 40% and 70% of drinking water being flushed down the toilet, depending how old the toilet is you are going to replace.
If you are serious about saving water, want a toilet that really works and is affordable, I highly recommend installing a Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. On an average of 5 uses a day (4 liquid/ 1 solid) a Caroma Dual Flush toilet uses an average of 0.96 gallons per flush. The new Sydney Smart uses only 1.28 and 0.8 gpf, that is an average of 0.89 gallons per flush. This is the lowest water consumption of any toilet available in the US. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5″ trapway, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s (High Efficiency toilets) http://www.epa.gov/watersense/product_search.html and also qualify for several toilet rebate programs available in the US. Please visit my blog https://pottygirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/what-you-should-know-about-toilets/
to learn more or go to http://www.caromausa.com to learn where you can find Caroma toilets locally. Visit to see how we flush potatoes with 0.8 gallons of water, meant for liquids only. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli
As an electrician, I’d like to expand upon some of the points made here. The solar tube lights are incredible, but find a contractor who is willing to thoughtfully locate them in the room. There are practical concerns, such as framing and electrical wiring to work around that may put it somewhere you don’t want it. While upgrading to compact fluorescent lighting, you may want to upgrade the fixture instead of using screw in bulbs. If your house is an older building, it was probably poorly lit to begin with, so homeowners will put in larger light bulbs than the fixtures were designed to handle and will put in oversized fuses. Depending upon the size of the wire feeding the circuit, only fifteen or twenty ampere fuses should be used for lighting circuits. This is also true for receptacle circuits, by the way. Every older house I have ever done service work in that has a fuse panel (no kidding, every one of them) has oversized fuses in them. It is like putting a penny in the fuse socket, which nobody would ever think of doing, but they put oversize fuses in there because (again, every one of them say this) “that’s what was in there when the last one blew, so I replaced it with the same size to be safe”. After the wiring is permitted to have more current than it was designed to handle because the fuse is too large, then the homeowner puts in two or three hundred watt light bulbs in a fixture that was designed to handle nothing greater than forty watt lamps (your typical home supply store fixture- they have stickers or labels that say so right on them!). The wiring literally cooks the insulation either to the point where it gets brittle and cracks or just plain melts off. Especially if you have an older home, have an electrician recommend a replacement and install it for you! Save money by doing your own painting if need be, it won’t burn your house down if you do it incorrectly! If you change the fixture to a fluorescent instead of using a screw in bulb, you increase the light available without adding to the demand on your wiring. Don’t skimp on this fixture, you will get what you pay for with them. If possible, get an energy star rated fixture with two compact fluorescent bulbs with their own ballasts. This way if one burns out you still have the other burning, and you can test the dead one with the bulb that works to determine if it’s a bad bulb or a bad ballast. You also have choices as to which “color” of light you prefer. Save your boxes, that way you get the same bulbs once you decide what color you like best. When you replace one bulb, give the new bulb time to “burn in” before you decide it isn’t the same color as the other one. I also agree with the timer for the exhaust fan- Intermatic makes some great and stylish looking time switches. Make sure your exhaust fan has a damper valve properly installed and the venting is correctly done. Finally, if your insulation was compacted or removed during the remodel, you might want to have it replaced when all the work is done. Again, hire a professional; insulation can cause a fire hazard if it is installed on certain types of older wiring and too close to certain types of recessed light fixtures. As an electrician, I’d like to expand upon some of the points made here. The solar tube lights are incredible, but find a contractor who is willing to thoughtfully locate them in the room. There are practical concerns, such as framing and electrical wiring to work around that may put it somewhere you don’t want it. While upgrading to compact fluorescent lighting, you may want to upgrade the fixture instead of using screw in bulbs. If your house is an older building, it was probably poorly lit to begin with, so homeowners will put in larger light bulbs than the fixtures were designed to handle and will put in oversized fuses. Depending upon the size of the wire feeding the circuit, only fifteen or twenty ampere fuses should be used for lighting circuits. This is also true for receptacle circuits, by the way. Every older house I have ever done service work in that has a fuse panel (no kidding, every one of them) has oversized fuses in them. It is like putting a penny in the fuse socket, which nobody would ever think of doing, but they put oversize fuses in there because (again, every one of them say this) “that’s what was in there when the last one blew, so I replaced it with the same size to be safe”. After the wiring is permitted to have more current than it was designed to handle because the fuse is too large, then the homeowner puts in two or three hundred watt light bulbs in a fixture that was designed to handle nothing greater than forty watt lamps (your typical home supply store fixture- they have stickers or labels that say so right on them!). The wiring literally cooks the insulation either to the point where it gets brittle and cracks or just plain melts off. Especially if you have an older home, have an electrician recommend a replacement and install it for you! Save money by doing your own painting if need be, it won’t burn your house down if you do it incorrectly! If you change the fixture to a fluorescent instead of using a screw in bulb, you increase the light available without adding to the demand on your wiring. Don’t skimp on this fixture, you will get what you pay for with them. If possible, get an energy star rated fixture with two compact fluorescent bulbs with their own ballasts. This way if one burns out you still have the other burning, and you can test the dead one with the bulb that works to determine if it’s a bad bulb or a bad ballast. You also have choices as to which “color” of light you prefer. Save your boxes, that way you get the same bulbs once you decide what color you like best. When you replace one bulb, give the new bulb time to “burn in” before you decide it isn’t the same color as the other one. I also agree with the timer for the exhaust fan- Intermatic makes some great and stylish looking time switches. Make sure your exhaust fan has a damper valve properly installed and the venting is correctly done. Finally, if your insulation was compacted or removed during the remodel, you might want to have it replaced when all the work is done. Again, hire a professional; insulation can cause a fire hazard if it is installed on certain types of older wiring and too close to certain types of recessed light fixtures.