Using several bathrooms in a home accounts for a significant amount of your year-round utility bills.

Bathrooms use both hot and cold water, heating and cooling, and electricity for lighting and appliances. With whirlpools and other comfort appliances, bathrooms are used for more hours today than ever before.

Since people normally associate a bathroom with water usage, let’s start there. Flushing toilets is the major cold water consumer in most bathrooms and the toilet typically is replaced when remodeling. During the winter, all of the cold water which comes indoors when the toilet is flushed draws heat from the house as the water in the tank warms up. This can be a significant hidden energy loss.

The maximum water usage allowed for new toilets is 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush) and most toilets use this maximum. Several of the major plumbing fixture manufacturers now offer super-efficient standard-flush toilets which use even less water. Since not as many of these super-efficient toilet styles are available, select the toilet first and then match the other fixtures to it.

The type of showerhead impacts both the amount of cold and hot water consumed. There are maximum water flow rates for showerheads. Large shower units with multiple heads use more water, though. If you have tried older low-flow showerheads in the past and were dissatisfied, the new ones provide a more forceful spray. Select a showerhead which has a tickle valve to slow the water flow while you are lathering. The main knob on some massaging showerheads also can be adjusted to just a trickle.

Much hot and cold water is wasted trying to get the shower water temperature where you want it. Manual and electronic shower valves are available which allow the temperature to be set on a dial or digitally. The correct temperature is reached quicker with less water wasted down the drain. Some may also allow you to reduce the water flow without changing the water temperature.

If it takes a long time to get hot water to the shower or sink, install a rapid hot water demand kit underneath the sink. When you need hot water, it draws hot water quickly to the faucet. Instead of the cold water being wasted down the drain while waiting, it flows back to the water heater tank. In addition to saving water, it saves energy because less incoming cold water has to be heated. Also, the hot water gets to the faucet quickly, so less heat energy is lost from the plumbing inside the walls and floors.

Bathroom heating is another energy consideration because you want the heat quickly, but for only a short period of time. A radiant system can make you feel comfortably warm without having to heat all the air in the bathroom. This feels similar to standing outdoors in the direct sun on a cold day. The air is cold, but the radiant heat warms your body quickly.

Electric radiant floor or wall heating is a good choice. Radiant wall heating panels warm and produce heat quickly so they are ideal for unplanned times in the bathroom. Electric in-floor radiant heat is very comfortable for a bathroom. Since it takes somewhat longer to warm up, put it on a timer for typical bathroom usage times. Overhead radiant bulbs also provide spot heating quickly.

A high-quality bathroom vent fan with humidity- and/or motion-sensing controls is most efficient. It runs only as long as it is actually needed so excessive heated air (winter) or cooled air (summer) is not being sucked from your house. The newest, most quiet ones often require a larger duct so you may have to alter the vent pipe in the attic to accommodate one. They also minimize air leakage when the fan is not running.

Select a vent fan with a light fixture and install full-spectrum compact fluorescent bulbs. These are energy efficient and produce natural light for applying makeup. A vent fan with a built-in night-light is good for a child’s bathroom.

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Country Lines, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.