Providing people with knowledge of a safe, dry, warm and GREEN home. Performing Home Inspections in Kitchener,Waterloo,Guelph, Cambridge, Milton, Mississauga, Brampton, Woodstock and nearby Phone: (519) 888-0852
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Here are some more energy saving tips.
Saving Energy in the Home Because this is a continuation from last month's newsletter, this starts with # 5.
5. Install efficient shower heads and toilets.
The following systems can be installed to conserve water usage in homes:
low-flow shower heads. They are available in different flow rates, and some have a pause button which you can use to shut off the water while you lather up. Low-flow showerheads use up to 70 percent less water than standard showerheads. (From time to time, utility providers have insentive programs to offset the cost of purchasing energy saving products like low-flow shower heads. Check out your provider's website.)
Low-flow toilets. Toilets consume 30% to 40% of the total water used in homes, making them the biggest water users. Replacing an older 3.5-gallon toilet with a modern, low-flow 1.6-gallon toilet can reduce usage an average of two gallons-per-flush (GPF), saving 12,000 gallons of water per year. Low-flow toilets usually have "1.6 GPF" marked on the bowl behind the seat or inside the tank. Unlike Low-flow shower heads, low-flow toilets save cold water only but the savings can be substantial.
Power assist, pressure assist and vacuum-assist toilets. These types of toilets have a mechanism to assist a low-flow toilet in getting a complete flush.
dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush toilets have been used in Europe and Australia for years, and are now gaining in popularity in the U.S. Dual-flush toilets let you choose between a 1-gallon (or less) flush for liquid waste, and a 1.6-gallon flush for solid waste. Dual-flush 1.6-GPF toilets reduce water consumption by an additional 30%.
6. Use appliances and electronics responsibly.
Appliances and electronics account for about 20% of household energy bills in a typical U.S. home. The following are tips that will reduce the required energy of electronics and appliances:
Refrigerators and freezers should not be located near the stove, dishwasher or heat vents, or exposed to direct sunlight. Exposure to warm areas will force them to use more energy to remain cool.
Computers should be shut off when not in use. If unattended computers must be left on, their monitors should be shut off. According to some studies, computers account for approximately 3% of all energy consumption in the United States.
Use efficient “Energy Star”-rated appliances and electronics. These devices, include TVs, home theater systems, DVD players, CD players, receivers, speakers and more. One study say if just 10% of North American homes used energy-efficient appliances, it would reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 1.7 million acres of trees.
Chargers, such as those for laptops and cell phones, consume energy when they are plugged in. When they are not connected to electronics, chargers should be unplugged.
Laptop computers consume considerably less electricity than desktop computers.
7. Install daylighting as an alternative to electrical lighting.
Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate the home's interior. It can be achieved using the following approaches:
skylights. It’s important that they be double-pane or they may not be cost-effective. Flashing skylights correctly is key to avoiding leaks;
lightshelves. Light shelves are passive devices designed to bounce light deep into a building. They may be interior or exterior. Light shelves can introduce light into a space up to 2½ times the distance from the floor to the top of the window, and advanced light shelves may introduce four times that amount;
clerestory windows. Clerestory windows are short, wide windows set high on the wall. Protected from the summer sun by the roof overhang, they allow winter sun to shine through for natural lighting and warmth; and
light tubes. Light tubes use a special lens designed to amplify low-level light and reduce light intensity from the midday sun. Sunlight is channeled through a tube coated with a highly reflective material, then enters the living space through a diffuser designed to distribute light evenly.
More energy saving tips next month.
A bit of trivia. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.
