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Green My Home or Office Ecology Green World, Energy Saving Tips & Products |
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Energy & Water Savings
Although water seems to be everywhere on earth, only 1% is available for human consumption, and much of it is diverted for agriculture or industrial uses. How much water does your home use daily? The average American home uses around 400 gallons every day, which adds up to about $500 spent every year on water and sewer bills (assuming you don't have large landscaping or pool water use). Wasted water also means energy consumption: heating water makes up about 12% of our home's energy bills. With numbers like these, you can see how conserving water means significant savings for your family. Outdoor Water Use Where's the best place to direct your water conservation efforts? Knowing how household water is used can help make sure that your reduction efforts have the biggest possible impact. For instance, outdoor water use is a full 30% of our homes' water consumption, so our yards are an important part of any conservation efforts. The gallons add up quickly when we water our gardens and lawns, hose off driveways, sidewalks, and patios, or wash our cars. 
Make sure you have a nozzle and an inexpensive mechanical timer on your outdoor hose. Consider a Rain Pillow or a Waterbroom if you face watering restrictions brought on by drought conditions. There are so many free ways to save water in your yard including watering in the early morning hours (and skip windy days) to minimize evaporation and adjust your mower to allow longer grass (as it holds water better than a closely clipped lawn). Mulching slows down evaporation so spread a lot around trees and plants. Consider adding elements of xeriscaping by using native and drought resistant plants as you make changes to your landscaping. Indoor Water Use Our indoor water use makes up the remaining 70% of home water consumption. Toilets consume 26% of this indoor water, so reducing gallons of water used per flush (gpf) and fixing even the smallest toilet flapper leak are important steps toward savings. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day or 73,000 a year. When you remodel make sure you get a dual flush toilet to use less water when less is needed, and in any case get an EPA WaterSense model, sort of like Energy Star, but for water conservation. A $3 toilet tank bank can save more than a gallon per flush without upgrading your toilet. Showers, bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks draw a lot of water too; combined they constitute almost a third of indoor water use. These are also major points for hot water use, so by making investments that reduce their water consumption you'll get the double effect of saving both water and energy. A $2 faucet drip measurement gauge can be a great lesson for the kids on how drops turn into dollars, and a 5-minute shower timer can help too. Isn't it time you replaced your old 2.5 gallon per minute (or higher) shower head with the Green Irene recommended 1.49 GPM low flow shower head? Over 5 years this one little shower head will save you at least 38,325 gallons of water and $1,150 in energy costs. o Green Irene's Newest Water Conservation Products Our research team is constantly on the lookout for innovative products to save money and resources, and our 500+ Eco-Consultants spot innovative solutions around the country. Here are a few of our latest water saving products available from my Green Irene catalog.
Independent Eco Consultant for Sacramento, CA
Phone: 916-709-4935
I invite you to contact me for more information about a Green Home Makeover, Green Office Makeover or hosting a GO GREEN Workshop. I also have some "green" fundraising products for your favorite non-profit organization. Rely on me to help you and your family along the path to a healthier, greener life. Contact me to discuss becoming an Eco-Consultant in your community or sign up thru this link if we have already spoken about Green Irene. If you have trouble reaching me through the contact information above, you can call Green Irene HQ at (888) 212-4733 ext. 1.
Green Irene and "Greening Our World One Home at a Time" are Trademarks of Green Irene LLC. Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.
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