Today with green technology readily available along with the professional, technical expertise of OCG Plumbing the potential for households in Carmel, Carmel Valley and Pebble Beach to save water and energy is greater than ever. Due to changing climate and weather patterns both water and energy are precious commodities thus increasing the incentives for efficient, sustainable plumbing systems.
Water and energy are the two conservation factors at the heart of any true “green” plumbing system in a sustainable home. The delivery of hot water comes at a high price, as gas water heating accounts for about 16 percent of the average California home utility bill, and electric water heating about 28 percent. As much as ten gallons per day (thousands per year) of water is wasted simply trying to heat it. By saving just 20 gallons of water each day, a household would save 7,300 gallons of water a year. Of course using less hot water is one of the easiest ways to decrease your water heater’s energy output and lower all your bills. Ask us how different sustainable plumbing systems such as water heating options compare in cost, performance, and energy efficiency:
Since tankless units heat water only as needed, they are also referred to as On-Demand, Instantaneous, or Flash heaters. While they’ve historically been popular in Japan and Europe, the market for tankless units in the United States is now heating up. People like tankless water heaters because they take up less space, generally last at least 20 years, and can truly provide endless hot water if they are specified properly. Read this fact sheet to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of tankless water heaters.
These systems use a high efficiency water heater or central boiler to supply heating energy to the space heating system while still meeting the needs for domestic hot water. The space-heating component can be accomplished with either a forced air system or a radiant heat system. A forced air system can either use hot water piped to individual fan coil units in each unit or the hot water can be sent to a central heat exchanger and fan coil unit that then sends hot air to the individual units.
Solar water heaters, also called solar domestic hot water systems can be a cost-effective way to generate hot water for your home. They can be used in any climate, and the fuel they use, sunshine, is free.
Any hot water that goes down the drain carries away energy with it. That’s typically 80-90% of the energy used to heat water in a home. Drain-water (or greywater) heat recovery systems capture this energy to preheat cold water entering the water heater or going to other water fixtures.
During our onsite consultations we establish your needs and design a cost effective environmental plumbing system that achieves your individual goals.
