Washington Gas

Although bathrooms are typically the smallest rooms in a home, they are big guzzlers of household energy. About 30 percent of all the water consumed in a home is used just to flush toilets, for example, and showers also use a tremendous amount of water. Meanwhile the energy needed to take hot baths can account for a large portion of annual utility bills. So if you are embarking on a bathroom remodeling project, be sure to incorporate basic energy conservation strategies into the plan.

• One good place to start is with faucets that help save water every time you turn on a tap. Low-flow faucets and showerheads, for instance, provide adequate flow while using as much as 60 percent less water.

• Shop for faucets that flow at a maximum rate of 1.5 gallons per minute and showerheads that deliver less than 2.5 gallons per minute. Toilets should use a maximum of 1.6 gallons to flush.

• While vintage faucets may look great, most of them are notoriously inefficient. But many can be retrofitted with aerators that help reduce the rate of flow. Using vintage sinks and tubs saves energy, however, because recycling these salvaged parts reduces manufacturing energy.

• Insulate water heaters and hot water plumbing pipes, and consider installing a tankless natural gas water heater for really profound energy savings. These will heat water on demand as needed, rather than keeping a whole tank of water hot at all times. They do cost more but the payoff is that they reduce energy consumption dramatically.

• Most conventional water heaters are set to heat water to 140 degrees, so another way to save energy without sacrificing comfort or cash is to manually lower the setting to 120 degrees. You'll get plenty of water that is sufficiently hot without the unnecessary waste of heat energy.

• Select tiles with high recycled content such as the gorgeous new styles made from recycled glass, and reduce electricity bills by installing high-tech LED light fixtures. They give off brilliant light, use drastically lower wattage, and will easily outlast conventional fixtures.

Bathroom remodels typically add more equity and resale value to a home than any other kind of upgrade, and if you do a smart green remodel then you'll also start saving on energy costs even before you sell.