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reduce your annual water costs by up to 30 percent and last nearly
20 years, double the lifespan of an average, traditional hot water
heater.
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Low flow toilets –An excellent way to save money and water is
to install new toilets. Many of the toilets in NYC use up to 5 gal-
lons of water per flush. A low flow toilet is required to flush at 1.28
gallons per flush.
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Smart thermostat –An easy and inexpensive way to instant-
ly make your heating and cooling system more efficient is with a
programmable thermostat. New programmable thermostats allow
you to set your home at different temperatures for different times
of day, so you aren’t paying to heat or cool your home when no one
is there. An added benefit of smart thermostats is you can control
them remotely using a simple application on your smartphone.
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LED lights –Swap out your old incandescent lights for ENERGY
STAR qualified LED lighting and you’ll consume 75 percent less
energy. In addition to being more energy efficient, LED lights last
up to 50 times longer than incandescent lights and up to five times
longer than fluorescent ones, saving you time replacing burnt out
bulbs.
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Ceiling fans –Adding ceiling fans to your home is a low-cost
way to reduce energy consumption. During hot summer days, ceil-
ing fans can reduce cooling costs by up to 40 percent. Even in the
winter, a ceiling fan helps circulate air and can save you up to ten
percent on your heating bill.
P
etri Plumbing & Heating, Inc., a leading plumb-
ing and heating company serving Brooklyn and
Manhattan since 1906, provides homeowners
tips to improve the energy efficiency of their
homes.
The 115 million households in the U.S. today collectively
account for nearly a quarter of the country’s energy usage,
according to Energy.gov, with the average family spending
upwards of $2,300 per person a year on their utility bills.
In New York, electricity costs are some of the highest in the
nation, meaning higher than average utility bills for area
homeowners.
“There are dozens of ways homeowners can make their
homes more energy efficient,” said Michael Petri, owner
of Petri Plumbing & Heating. “From retrofitting an old hot
water heating system with a tankless system to simply swap-
ping out a water guzzling toilet, even a few small changes
can have a significant impact on energy consumption. You’re
helping the Earth and helping to lower energy bills at the
same time.”
The experts at Petri Plumbing & Heating offer Brooklyn
homeowners these five home upgrades to make their homes
more energy efficient:
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On-demand hot water heater –On-demand or “tankless”
hot water systems heat water as needed, which saves energy
and money. New ENERGY STAR® tankless water heaters can
Energy SavingTips fromPetri Plumbing&Heating, inc.