You want to increase your home’s efficiency, but you have no idea where to start. You don’t have the budget to upgrade every appliance in your home, and you want to make smart investments that will make a clear and immediate difference to your water use, energy consumption, and utility bills. Are your efforts better spent in the kitchen, bathroom, or somewhere else entirely?
At ZINTEX Remodeling, we talk to thousands of homeowners every year about their top remodeling priorities. We find that the bathroom is a major focal point because it’s the one room in the house that everyone uses every single day, multiple times a day. What are the changes you can make in the bathroom to embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle? Discover our top recommendations in this guide to the best eco-friendly bath fixtures to factor into your bathroom remodel price (and where to find them).
Table of Contents
- Low-Flow Toilets
- Water-Saving Showerheads
- Low-Flow Faucets
- Energy-Efficient Bath Lighting
- Eco-Friendly Bathtubs
- Sustainable Bathroom Accessories
Low-Flow Toilets
If you’re looking to cut back on your water consumption, your toilet is the best place to start. According to the EPA, toilets come in first place for residential water usage, taking up nearly 30% of the average household’s total water consumption.
Traditional toilets can use up to 6 gallons of water per flush, but eco-friendly, low-flow toilets use around 1.28 gallons or less per flush. This switch has the potential to save up to 13,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four.
Where to find low-flow toilet options:
- Home Improvement Stores: Retailers like Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware offer a wide selection of eco-friendly toilets.
- Online Retailers: Websites like Amazon, Build.com, and Wayfair allow you to compare a variety of options and prices.
Top brands to consider:
- Kohler: Known for stylish, water-efficient models.
- TOTO: Offers some of the most water-efficient and high-performance toilets on the market.
Water-Saving Showerheads
No matter how committed you are to cutting back on your water consumption, you probably don’t want to sacrifice adequate shower water pressure. In fact, having poor shower water pressure can actually lead to more water usage because it takes longer to rinse shampoo and conditioner out of your hair. What’s the solution, here?
Today’s water-saving showerheads typically use 1.8 gallons of water per minute, while traditional showerheads use up to 5 gallons per minute. Many of these water-saving showerheads use an aeration technique to pressurize the flow of water. You’re still getting the water pressure you need for a practical and comfortable showering experience, but without all the water waste.
Where to find water-saving showerheads:
- Major Retailers: Target, Home Depot, and Lowe’s carry a variety of eco-friendly showerheads in different styles.
- Online Retailers: You can find a wide selection on Amazon, Wayfair, and Overstock.
Top brands to consider:
- Moen: Offers water-efficient models that don’t compromise on water pressure.
- Delta Faucet: Known for its eco-friendly technologies, including the popular H2Okinetic series.
Low-Flow Faucets
Low-flow faucets are similarly designed to limit the amount of water used without affecting performance. They can reduce water flow to as little as 1.5 gallons per minute, compared to the standard 2.2 gallons per minute.
Low-flow faucets won’t save as much water as alternatives like low-flow toilets and showerheads, so they may not be the first eco-friendly fixture you choose to invest in. However, if you’re doing a full bathroom transformation or you’ve already installed other eco-friendly fixtures and want to take that next step, they’re a great addition.
Where to find low-flow faucets:
- Home Improvement Stores: Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Menards are great places to shop for energy-efficient bathroom faucets.
- Online Retailers: Websites like Amazon, Faucet Direct, and Build.com offer a variety of low-flow faucet options.
Top brands to consider:
- Kohler: Known for a wide range of stylish, water-saving faucet designs.
- Moen: Offers a range of eco-friendly faucets that combine aesthetics and water efficiency.
Energy-Efficient Bath Lighting
So far, we’ve focused on making your water usage more efficient. What about energy efficiency in the bathroom? This just might be the easiest tradeoff in any home upgrade.
Simply switching your bathroom’s lightbulbs from incandescent to LED can yield an energy savings of up to 80%. Plus, LED lightbulbs can burn for between 25,000 and 50,000 hours, compared to the incandescent lightbulb’s lifespan of 1,000 hours. By making the switch, you’re not only reducing energy waste, but you’re also cutting down on waste.
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Where to find energy-efficient bath lighting:
- Retail Stores: Home improvement chains like Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Bed Bath & Beyond offer a wide selection of energy-efficient light fixtures and LED bulbs.
- Online Retailers: Websites like Amazon, Wayfair, and Lighting Direct have an array of eco-friendly lighting options.
Top brands to consider:
- Philips Hue: Offers a range of energy-efficient smart lighting options.
- GE Lighting: Known for durable and energy-efficient LED bulbs.
💡Bonus tip: Light fixtures are one of the home products that can receive a rating from Energy Star, a government-backed energy efficiency program. In addition to browsing Philips Hue and GE Lighting products, you can also visit the Energy Star website to get the full list of Energy Star light fixtures.
Eco-Friendly Bathtubs
When it comes to efficient water use, baths don’t have the best reputation. The average bathtub can hold about 40-60 gallons of water. While you’re not going to fill your tub up to the top, you’re probably looking at about 30-50 gallons for a comfortable soak. On the flip side, you’re only going to use about 20 gallons of water to take a ten-minute shower with a water-saving showerhead. Is there any way to make your bathing more eco-friendly without investing in a tub to shower conversion?
Eco-friendly bathtubs won’t drastically reduce the water you use to take a bath, but many models are made from eco-friendly materials and offer energy savings. For example, many of these models are insulated to retain heat longer, which reduces the amount of energy needed to heat your bath water and keep it hot.
Where to find eco-friendly bathtubs:
- Home Improvement Stores: Check out Home Depot and Lowe’s for a selection of eco-friendly bathtubs.
- Specialty Stores: Showrooms and websites like Bath Pros or Signature Hardware often carry high-quality, eco-conscious bathtubs.
Top brands to consider:
- American Standard: Known for offering bathtubs made from sustainable materials like EverClean acrylic.
- Kohler: Offers a range of bathtubs made from recycled materials and with energy-efficient designs.
Sustainable Bathroom Accessories
In addition to the major fixtures, small accessories in your bathroom can be eco-friendly. Many bathroom accessories are made from sustainable or recycled materials like bamboo, cork, or reclaimed wood. Look for these materials when picking your towel racks, soap dispensers, bathmats, and more.
The bathroom is a great area to cut down on single-use plastic. For example, give shampoo and conditioner bars a try and see if you can ditch the bottled products. Plus, plastics aren’t the only single-use products with durable alternatives. For example, you can replace cotton balls with washable cotton pads.
Where to find sustainable bathroom accessories:
- Eco-Friendly Retailers: Stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, World Market, and The Container Store often have eco-conscious bathroom accessories.
- Online Marketplaces: Websites like Etsy, Amazon, and Thrive Market offer a wide selection of sustainable bathroom accessories.
Top brands to consider:
- Bamboo Studio: Offers a range of eco-friendly bathroom accessories made from bamboo.
- Looma: Known for its sustainable textiles like organic cotton towels and bathmats.
Smart Bathroom Remodel Planning Saves Money and More
No matter the size of your budget and the scope of your remodel, there are eco-friendly upgrades you can make to your bathroom. Now you know which areas to focus on and where to shop to find the best brands in eco-friendliness. What’s next?
At ZINTEX Remodeling Group, we understand how nerve-wracking it can be to invest in your home, even when you have a clear vision and great intentions. Are there any tax deductions available after an energy-efficient bathroom remodel? Find out in our guide to bathroom remodel cost tax deductions.
