The Eco-Dentistry Association has recently announced its latest certification for sustainable dental offices, the GreenDOC Dental Office Certification Program, according to Fast Company. The EDA hopes to encourage more sustainable strategies in the industry by awarding green certification to practices that excel in waste reduction and resource conservation. According to the news article, the EDA's criteria prioritizes energy conservation, especially with regard to a dental facility's HVAC system and amenities, as one of the key principles that dental offices must demonstrate before being awarded with their latest certification. One way that dental offices can get a little greener is by upgrading their water heater to an energy-saving, super compact tankless model.

New technology is an apt solution for going green
Dental Economics pointed out that one of the most cost-effective ways to make a dental office more sustainable and efficient is by upgrading the technology inside the office. After all, large, powerful pieces of dentistry equipment typically consume large amounts of electricity. Replacing aging pieces of equipment also gives a dental office employees to take advantage of new, innovative pieces of technology.

For example, integrating the latest electronic patient records into the office workflow is a great way to eliminate a lion's share of the dental practice's paper waste. Likewise, replacing aging water tanks with a state-of-the-art tankless model allows the company to enjoy a more reliable flow of hot water while simultaneously conserving energy and reducing water waste.

One solution to meet multiple needs
When evaluating which green solution to tackle first, it's important for practices to do their research and prioritize investing in a technology that can address more than one of the dental office's needs. Upgrades are at their most cost effective level when they are able to cut down operational waste, make the lives of dental employees more manageable and improve the reputation of the dental practice with their regular and new clients.

Tankless water heater replacement fits these requirements to the letter. High-end models boast 99 percent thermal efficiency and this performance makes tankless models ideal for reducing resource waste and helping dental practices meet necessary safety requirements. In addition, tankless water heaters are built to last for twenty years. This long-term investment may outlive the time your practice will work out of your current office, but the savings and energy-efficiency are well worth the price of going tankless.

Going green is good business for dentistry offices.

Going tankless helps circumvent installation problems
Another reason that tankless is the right choice for companies looking to streamline their resources utilization is because traditional water heaters will soon be seeing a significant increase in size, thanks to new regulations passed by the Department of Energy. After April 16, a wide variety of water heaters will see size increases as manufacturers redesign their products for superior efficiency. However, this performance boost has forced manufacturers to make water heaters bigger and wider – this size change might make it impossible to install one of the newest water heaters into the storage space of a dental practice.

Tankless water heaters are significantly smaller than standard models, and won't be affected by the new regulations. Tankless models are already so efficient and small that no changes will be necessary. Dental practices can take advantage of this proven piece of water heating technology by upgrading their office with targeted, point-of-use installations. Learning more about the advantages of tankless water heaters for commercial applications will help dental offices come to the right decision about their next sustainability project.