Entries categorized as ‘smart water’
a precious resource
In the SF Bay Area, we enjoy clean, potable, good tasting tap water and often take it for granted that it’ll always be there. As you know, this resource is
getting more and more scarce for a number reasons. I’ll first start off by identifying areas of waste, you can think of ways to stop this waste on your own …
- Dreading dripping faucet, could lose up to 6 gal/day (replace/fix it)
- Old toilet, uses 3.5 – 6 gal/flush (replace it)
- Running H2O while washing dishes, 20 gal/wash (stop it. fill one side for rinsing)
- Leaky toilet, could lose up to 40 gal/day (replace the stopper)
- Running H2O while brushing your teeth, @ 2x/day, 3.5 gal/day (use a cup)
- Washing machine loads, ~41 gal/load (get new one and/or use full loads only)
Go Low-flow. Use low flow shower heads (1.5 gal/min) and faucet aerators – can save up to 40% … you’ll never feel the difference!
Low Commode. Newer ones use as little as 1.3 gal/flush
Catch it. Consider install water catchment systems to be used in watering your landscape. This is the easiest way to conserve water for the landscape. Or, if you really want to go for it, consider a gray-water system that’ll take your shower water & sink (not food waste portion) and filter it through a system is used to water your landscape. City permits and professional installation/advice is highly recommended for installing this type of system.
Categories: savings at home · smart water
smart ideas for home improvement, part iv
the other beast … the hot water heater. Here are some ideas to help lower your overall energy consumption concerning your hot water.
Insulate it. Wrap it around the entire tank – don’t forget the hot water pipes (if exposed) too!
Lower it. Turn the dial down to a comfortable level.
… when all else fails …
Replace it. Newer ones are more energy efficient and rebates from PG&E may be had.
Demand it. Heated tanks can lose up to 15% due to heat transfer so … Go tankless with a hot water on-demand system, they work much like those on-demand hot water dispenser near faucets and coffee makers.
Create it. Another good alternative is to install a solar hot water system. Use something that is had for free … the sun!
Next week … Wise Water Usage.
Categories: savings at home · smart energy · smart water
When you turn on the water faucet of your sink, shower or bath, how long does it take to finally get hot water to start spewing from it? It may not seem like a long time, but adding it up over a week, a month and even a year’s time, will astonish you … about 25% of your total water consumption is wasted whenever you’re sitting there waiting for the warm/hot water to come from your trusty water heater.
If you’d like to save water and money from literally going down the drain, consider a tankless water heater. Not only do you not have to wait for cold water to flush its way out (through the pipes), but save you a lot of $$$ in the long run. It’s like having one of those instant “hot water on demand” systems for your faucets and showers! Go ahead … take the plunge.
Categories: everyday life · savings at home · smart energy · smart water
… a rousing success.
This past weekend was the annual Green Festival held at the Concourse in San Francisco. If you never attended and have prior perceptions about it, it’s not a meeting place for hippies. If you’re at all interested in organics, green living or just plain attuned to good clean living, look out for it next year and put it on your calendar as a must attend.
green festival.
First, parking isn’t the greatest so I took BART, cycled to the Concourse and parked it free in the bicycle lot just outside – it was painless. I had both the opportunity to walk around to experience event as well as
worked at a booth with my Greenhouse Collective partners. The Greenhouse Collective is a collective … co-op if you will of green/eco-friendly minded businesses that range from solar to landscaping. My booth-mates here are from SunClean (green carpet cleaning), Eco Haul (responsible debris disposing & Suns Free Solar (solar electric systems).
greenhouse collective.
The Greenhouse Collective can be found at: www.greenhousecollective.com. When you contact any of them, please remember to mention that I recommended you.
Categories: everyday life · savings at home · smart energy · smart living · smart water
part 1 of 3
i’m sure you’ve received your water bills and have seen an increase. EBMUD finally used that dreaded word “drought,” as we are well into our summer. with “indian summer” on its way, water conservation is of top priority.
inexpensive H2O saving suggestions … (more…)
Categories: savings at home · smart water
tired of mowing your lawn … or paying those monthly cutting fees?
well, finally there’s a product out there that could give us weekend gardeners (or lawn mowers) a break without giving up the beauty of green grass. how about something that looks like real grass, feels like real grass and you never have to mow it! (more…)
Categories: savings at home · smart water
