The bathroom is one area of the home which uses up a good chunk of the energy budget every year. Showers, washing and bathing use up electricity in heating water and providing lighting for the space. In addition, if the home is in the northern United States, as Montana is, then the area will have to be heated for almost 9 months a year.

Another area of concern is water usage. Showers, baths and toilets use up vast quantities of water, a resource that is getting strained as more subdivisions are built. New innovations in the past few years have seen water usage in the individual home go down which is not only good for the environment but also saves money for the homeowner. And additional savings may be available in the form of rebates from local or state authorities.

Materials

When remodeling for a cleaner environment the building materials have to be considered. Most plastics, engineered board and carpet produce volatile organic compounds (VOC's) during their manufacture and have off-gassing capabilities. This includes vinyl, cushion floors and fiberglass fixtures. Many bathroom designers are using tile for the entire bathroom – floors, walls -except for the ceiling. This negates the need for a shower stall and plastic wall coverings for waterproofing. Ceramic tile is relatively inexpensive, does not off-gas and is inert if used for fill when taken out of a home.

Toilets

Low-Flow: When low-flow toilets first hit the market place they were not that great. In fact with many earlier models it two flushes to work them, which negated the water-saving rate of 1.6 gallons per flush. However, the new toilets have a larger and smoother trapway to increase the outflow, a bottle-neck in the older models which sometimes led to plugs. Pressure-assisted flush systems use air pressure within the tank to power the water into the bowl which makes up for the low water amount. It is noisier so bathrooms are insulated for the increase of decibel level. Some dual-adjust toilets in drier areas allow for waste or water waste. Others have an electric motor which helps the flush. Either way, in some counties these toilets cane save over $100 a year off the water bill.

Compost: A newcomer to residential building composting toilets are a proven entity in "cottage country." There are many models but the main idea is that human waste is stored and, through bacteria, turned into a mineralized compost which can be applied to all but vegetable gardens. To achieve this a fan system is used to draw out odors. This process requires a small burst of electricity but it is very minimal. Depending on the system the waste is removed for composting from 1-3 years.

Gray Water

Gray water is the liquid from showers, washing and washing machines. The drains can be plumbed for irrigation for the garden and lawns or for toilet tanks. If it is to be used for the latter then a mild bleach is added to keep down bacteria.

Water Heating

1. Tankless Water Heater: Traditional water tanks are a centralized system where the water is heated by either electricity or a fossil fuel and then transported through copper or plastic lines. This process requires a stand-by system where the water is kept hot by an element operated by a thermostat. Night and day this control switches on the water tank. In addition, the hot water has to travel a ways to get to the tap and this may be 15 -50 feet and every inch draws heat from the water necessitating the water to have to run longer to get up to bathing temperature.

In a tankless system the water is “heated as needed.” When the tap is turned a sensor in the line opens a valve and water is drawn into a small heater coil and flash-heated. This lasts as long as the tap is open. When the tap is shut off the sensor stops the heater. There is no energy draw from a standby system. A tankless system can be installed by each bathroom and, although more expensive than a standard system, it lasts 2-3 times longer and the electricity and water savings are substantial.

2. Low Flow Shower Heads: Acting like putting a thumb over the end of a garden hose the low-flow shower heads provide the pressure of a normal shower flow with just a fraction of the water use. This saves both water and electricity.

3. Passive Solar Assist: This system works in tandem with a standard hot water tank. The solar "tubes" are installed in a sunny area where standard car radiator coolant heats up and is run through a system whereby the heat from the coolant is transferred to the water. On sunny days electricity is not needed but on cloudy days there is still heat but the system is supplemented from the heat element in the water tank. Passive solar system is expensive to put in (4 times that of a standard water tank), and you still will have to change out your water tank every 10 years or so, but the savings are there over the long haul. In addition, there are systems on the market that are self-contained and do not need an outside water heater.

Lighting

New developments in lighting have seen the CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights) and LED (light emitting diodes) technology climb in status. CFL's are becoming the mainstay in lighting because they last longer and draw less electricity that normal incandescent bulbs. However, they pose an environmental hazard because of mercury vapor. LED lighting is expensive right now but last 10 times longer than CFL's.

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