Will installing Faucet Aerators Save Energy? Yes

Get a custom going green project every day
by taking our Going Green Today Assessment Quiz!

At Going Green Today we focus a lot of our energy on energy. After all, our collective energy consumption is the major culprit behind humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions. In seeking out ways to conserve, considerable attention is given to big, dramatic, and sexy solutions (like hybrid vehicles or solar panels) at the expense of exploring simpler means by which we can cut energy use and shrink our carbon footprint. Today’s video from the YouTube universe sheds light on a minor alteration that we can make in our kitchens and bathrooms to conserve water and energy.

Faucet aerators are tiny metallic screens that go at the very tip of a faucet’s spout. As the water sluices through the metallic mesh as it leaves the faucet, it is mixed in with air. The ultimate result is pretty basic: the water flows from the faucet at a lower rate. What does a wee metal screen have to do with energy consumption? Well, aerators lower the amount of water we use, and water, however pristine, carries with it a hidden cost – CO2 emissions. The gas and electric powered water heaters that allow us to wash our hands, plates, laundry, and bodies with warm water account for roughly 13 percent of household energy usage. When we lower the amount of hot water we’re drawing from the faucet, we reduce our overall gas and electricity consumption. The other invisible means by which water gobbles up energy occurs further upstream at the water treatment plant. The process of treating, delivering, and then processing our H2O all requires energy. So, either way you split it, saving water will help lower your carbon footprint.

How do you install a faucet aerator? It’s pretty simple, but we’ll leave that up to the experts to explain. Enjoy!

Tags: green home, Green Products, water, water conservation

Category: Green Homes, Green Products