Embracing Earth Day in the HVAC and Plumbing Industry

Each day, plumbing and HVAC contractors tackle the Earth’s elements, including air and water. This year, contractors can give back to the planet by celebrating Earth Day with their company. Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22, but there are steps you can implement right now that can benefit the Earth year-round.

Take a look at how to embrace Earth Day in the HVAC and plumbing industry, and give back to our planet.

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Offer Customers Green Solutions

Advancements in sustainable HVAC and plumbing solutions have exploded in recent years — and the demand for these solutions has also increased. A recent study found that 61% of Millennials, 55% of Gen X, and 46% of Baby Boomers all agreed that they would pay more money for eco-friendly products compared to traditional options. Whether you operate an HVAC or plumbing business, there are numerous green solutions that customers will appreciate this Earth Day. 

Eco-Friendly Plumbing Industry Solutions

As homeowners continue to seek more and more eco-friendly solutions, plumbers should be aware of the numerous service options they can be offering their customers. Consider adopting these green solutions this Earth Day to help customers acquire a high-efficiency and eco-friendly home:

•     Tankless and smart water heating solutions. Outdated water heaters can be some of the most energy-consuming and inefficient solutions within a home. Smart water heaters offer more than 400% efficiency than traditional units, and provide smart capabilities that allow customers to track water usage. Likewise, tankless water heating solutions heat water on demand and dispense only the amount of water required in the moment to cut down on water consumption.
•     Low flow/dual-flow toilets. On average, traditional toilet models use a hefty 3.4 gallons per flush. Help customers conserve water usage by offering low flow and dual flow toilet options that use roughly half the amount of water per flush.
•     Low flow showerheads. Outdated shower heads can deliver up to 8 gallons per minute, making even the quickest of showers far from eco-friendly. For customers looking to significantly lower this steep amount of usage, low flow showerheads can reduce water usage by up to 40% or more.
•     Piping upgrades. For those in colder climates, offering insulation services for customer piping can reduce heat loss and energy use during bitterly cold times of the year. By insulating customer piping, warm-up periods will reduce, freezing concerns will decrease, and customers can conserve water and energy. 

Eco-Friendly HVAC Industry Solutions

Similar to your friends over in the plumbing industry, HVAC company operators also have green solutions and service options that can be offered to customers. To accommodate your Earth Day initiative, take a look at these eco-friendly HVAC industry solutions:

•     HVAC system upgrades. If you aren’t already, make sure that you're offering ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling systems to help customers conserve more energy than traditional and outdated systems. Plus, you can help them save major money on energy bills.
•     Ductwork upgrades and cleanings. Worn out or dirty customer ductwork may not only impact the functionality of an HVAC system but also cause an unnecessary loss of heating and cooling. Overall, this contributes to an unnecessary loss of energy. Offer ductwork inspections and cleaning services to detect and eliminate any of these concerns. 
•     Smart thermostat installations. An unexpected energy-saving tip most homeowners are unaware of is that their thermostat can significantly impact energy use amounts. Outdated and dysfunctional thermostats can cause a system to run unnecessarily longer, inducing an unnecessary use of energy. Offer customers smart thermostats that better control their HVAC unit, while also offering customizable run schedule and remote control capabilities. 

Invite Customers to a ‘Green Consultation’

Although customers may want to upgrade their home’s HVAC and plumbing systems for better efficiency, they may not know where to start. In other words, they may not know which of your green solutions work best for them. So, in addition to offering the various green HVAC and plumbing solutions listed above, consider adding ‘Eco-Friendly Consultations’ to inspect customers’ current systems.

By inspecting a customer's current system, whether it's the HVAC ductwork or current water heater performance, you as a professional have the ability to identify the top areas of the house that could use green solutions. By identifying these areas that result in a loss of energy or water supply, you can better customize a solution for the customer that offers long-term energy savings and benefits the environment.

Make Green Choices in the Office and on the Road

Outside of providing customers with green HVAC and plumbing solutions for their homes and businesses, there are a few things you can do yourself as a business owner to embrace Earth Day — both in the office and on the road. One of the simplest and convenient green changes you can adopt is to go paperless. 

Between work order forms and accounting details, the number of paper documents involved with HVAC and plumbing companies can be steep. Instead, try adopting a system of digital record-keeping by using field service management and/or accounting software, such as FieldEdge and QuickBooks. When transitioning into a digital recordkeeping system, take the time to also establish a simple in-office recycling system to ensure the proper disposal of old documents.

Furthermore, you’ll want to take a look at your current assets and see which large-scale sustainable changes you can also make. For office spaces, make sure you're using the same energy-efficient HVAC and plumbing systems you would offer customers, including low-flow toilets and smart thermostats to help conserve energy and water use. If possible, consider looking into local providers who offer small-scale renewable energy solutions, including solar and wind power. 

For vehicle assets, vehicle manufacturers are increasingly producing hybrid and electric work vehicles. With technicians constantly on the road, these vehicles can not only save you significant money on gas cost but also offer an eco-friendly solution that aids in minimizing the rising rate of pollution seen across the globe. 

Get Moving on Your Earth Day Initiative Today

Although Earth Day is just one day a year, it’s never too late to start incorporating green solutions into your business and turn them into service offerings as well. From undergoing office and vehicle upgrades to offering eco-friendly consultations and system upgrades for customers, you have the ability to go green in many aspects of your company. As the demand for eco-friendly solutions continues to climb across all industries, get ahead of the game this Earth Day and work to become a leading local green solution.