HOUSTON—There are five low-cost home improvements you can make that will have you Saving Cents in the long run.
One is a low-flow shower head. They are required in newer homes, but older ones don’t have them. Some people worry they won’t get enough water pressure with a low-flow, said Mike Villasana of Village Plumbing of Houston. These shower heads range in price from $5 up to $100 or more.
"You can still get adequate pressure from a shower head with a low-flow," he said. The holes are narrower, so that pressure can still be high even though volume of water is decreased.
The second Saving Cents home improvement tip involves toilets. They should flush with less water, about 1.6 gallons. Again, low-capacity toilets are required in newer homes, but not older ones. An easy way to make an old toilet low-capacity is to put a full water bottle in it. Do not use a brick, said Villasana, because it will "mess up the moving parts in the tank."
The water bottle trick costs you a bottle of water. But a high-end low-capacity toilet that flushes "even better than the old high-capacity ones" can cost about $600 to purchase and install, said Villasana.
A low-flow shower head and water-saving toilet can save you about $200 a year on your water bill.
The third tip is to get a water filtration system for your home. Between the system and filters, you’ll spend about $120 dollars a year, but you’ll save about $400 on the cost of bottled water.
Fourth tip: Using compact fluorescent bulbs for your entire home costs about $80, but it will cut about 20 percent every month off your electric bill.
Tip No. 5: A programmable thermostat can easily cut a couple hundred dollars a year off your electric bill. They cost about $50.
"It turns off during the day. That’s how it’s saving you money. It’s not running all day long, you know, running your light bill up," said Terri Bleam, homeowner. "It just saves you a lot of money by doing it that way."
