Preserving the environment may be more economically advantageous than you might assume. Property owners now have more choices than ever when it comes to obtaining environmentally friendly products for their houses. Not only can you help the environment, quite a few of these updated products will in fact save you dollars.

For instance, low-flow toilets use under 1.6 gallons per flush – almost three times less fluid than standard toilets. This not only helps preserve water in general, but will reduce your water bill as well. High-efficiency toilets (HETs) use even less liquid than low-flow variations (some less than a gallon per flush) and will save both the environment and the homeowner even more.  

Consider cutting your heating and cooling costs almost in half! If you have an outdated furnace, AC or heat pump, that’s over 10 years old, replacing it with one of today’s Energy Star rated high-efficiency air conditioners or furnaces could lower your heating and cooling costs up to 40%. If you would like to save even more on power bills, look at a ground source heat pump. Ground source heat pumps pump water underground through a long network of tubes and use the earth’s geothermal temperatures to warm and cool your home. These pumps can be installed in already built homes and come with the extra advantage of no loud, unsightly outside unit to deal with like a traditional air conditioning unit.

If you own a water conditioner, look at replacing it with a salt-free water conditioner. These units only operate while your faucet is turned on. They also use about as much electrical power as a 25-watt light bulb. Speaking of water, have you actually considered how much energy is forfeited by your water heater. Usually, thirty or forty gallons of water are continuously heated but only used occasionally. With a tankless water heater, water is only warmed when the faucet is turned on so very little power is wasted. And while that’s all excellent, the most significant advantage to having a tankless water heater is that you will never run out of hot water! That’s right, take as long of a shower as you like – the hot water is everlasting.

Hopefully, producers will continue to produce products that are advantageous to both the environment and consumers. If you’re concerned about the earth, consider buying one of these options when it’s time to replace an old appliance.