You can’t always increase your income at the drop of a hat, but there are ways to quickly reduce your expenses. Saving money on the utilities is a fast and easy way to keep more of your money. Here are some plumbing trends than can save you money on your home utility bills.

Lose the Traditional Hot Water Tank

Hot water tanks may be great for providing hot water when you want it, but keeping that huge container of water hot at all times comes at a cost on the energy bill. A simple change that homeowners can make is to exchange the hot water tank for a tankless hot water heater. Rather than trying to keep 40 or 60 gallons of water hot at all times, you will only heat the water you are actually using.

Tankless hot water heaters will cost more to install initially due to necessary changes in plumbing structure. However, they will save you money on the gas or electric bill because you will eliminate a great deal of heat loss.

If you live in an area that gets plenty of sunshine throughout the year, another option is to replace the hot water tank with a solar water heater. Required equipment includes a solar collector, pump, solar hot water tanks, piping and back-up water heater. However, you will be richly rewarded with a green option and free hot water.

Save that Greywater

Greywater comes from the sinks, tubs and showers of the home. It can be collected, treated and reused, provided the proper equipment is in place. While greywater that is collected can not be used for drinking and cooking, it is ideal for outdoor irrigation purposes. These systems are simple to install when a house is under construction.

Another option for recycling water that would otherwise be wasted is to install collection cisterns on your home’s gutter system. They are inexpensive to purchase, simple to install and easy to use, so you can water your yard without worrying about the water bill.

Put Greywater to Immediate Use

When the toilet is flushed, it immediately refills with fresh water. However, the toilet basin is the ideal spot for recycling greywater. Under-the-counter collection systems will collect greywater from the bathroom sink and direct it to the toilet basin when needed. A special splice is required for the drain line, as well as a sanitizing piece. Households report saving several thousand gallons of water with these systems.

Saving water is more than turning off the tap while brushing your teeth. These systems will help you save money on the water and other utility bills without having to remember any special steps.

The kitchen gets more use than most other rooms in a house, and it is one of the key rooms that potentials buyers concentrate on when they are deciding whether or not to put in a bid on a house that is up for sale. Due to these realities, it is wise to invest a good sum of money in remodeling the kitchen from time to time. Redoing cabinets, in particular, can make the kitchen more enjoyable for a home’s owners and increase the resale value of the home.

Putting in brand-new cabinets can cost a few thousand dollars or more, but homeowners can get the same effect as brand new cabinets for much less through kitchen cabinet refacing. With kitchen cabinet refacing, there is no need to take all of the cabinets out of a kitchen. Only the outer, visible parts of the kitchen cabinets are changed when a refacing project is done, which saves both time and money.

Continue reading →

According to home décor experts, the average cost to remodel a bathroom can run anywhere from $5,000 on up to $30,000, depending on how extensive the remodel is. Even a scaled-down remodel can cost upwards of $10,000.
A lot of the money spent on a bathroom remodeling project is the cost of materials. Following are three ways to save on this.

1. Save on Shipping

Did you know that shipping and handling costs to deliver bathroom appliances like a tub and/or a sink can run a couple of hundred dollars or more? This is because most shipping is calculated by weight. To get around this, order locally and arrange to pick it up yourself.

Continue reading →

A leaky faucet can cost you hundreds of dollars a year in water bills. As the kitchen is probably the most used room in the house, one way to “drip” some dollars into your pocket is to install the right faucet. One stylish, water-saving option is the disc faucet.

Following is some general info about kitchen faucets and why the disc faucet stands out.

The Most Common Type of Kitchen Faucet

The compression faucet is the most common type of kitchen faucet. They have separate hot and cold water handles, which you turn off by tightly turning each handle. Compression faucets are the least expensive type of kitchen faucet. This may also explain why they are the most prone to leaks and require frequent maintenance. Compared to the disc faucet, they are highly inefficient.

Continue reading →

Landscaping with stone is ideal because it’s long-lasting and can really showcase the assets of your yard and home beautifully – if it’s done right. And it doesn’t have to cost a mint, as the following demonstrates.

Landscaping Stone: Using What’s Already There

One of the best ways to choose the right landscaping stone is to go with what’s natural to your area. For example, if your home is new you may be lucky enough to use what was dug up during the building process. During the process of building your home, the probability of finding suitable rocks and stones in the area is greater than you might think.

If usable stone is found, ask the builder if they will save them for you instead of hauling them away. Many will because it saves them the expense – a win-win for all.

Continue reading →

Metal roofs can save you money. And the best part is, they do so on an ongoing basis. Following are four reasons having a metal roof can add up to big savings.

• Increase Property Value: Did you know that metal roofs appreciate in value over time? They do. Conversely, roofs made from most other materials depreciate. What this means is, installing a metal roof will most likely increase your property value. According to some experts, it’s not uncommon to recoup 75%- 95% of the installation costs when you sell.

Continue reading →