By Ken SheinkopfHome Energy
Article Launched: 03/23/2008 12:12:22 AM PDT
Q: I just heard a radio program about future energy problems, and one of the speakers said she thought water shortages would be more a problem in the coming years than energy shortages. If this happens, what can we do now to prevent this?
A: I tend to agree with what you heard, especially since some parts of the world are experiencing this situation already. And many homeowners right here in the United States are paying water bills that are pretty close to or sometimes even higher than their energy ones.
The good news is that there are a number of things homeowners can do today to make dramatic cuts in their water usage and costs. Making water-efficient improvements can lower your water usage by 50 percent or even more. By reducing hot water usage, you'll further save on the costs of heating water you won't need. And putting water-efficient appliances and products into a new home during construction might let your builder downsize the plumbing system, resulting in enough water savings to pay for the cost of the efficient fixtures.
Plumbing fixtures sold in the United States today have to meet standards set in the early 1990s that require shower heads and faucets to have maximum flow rates of 2½ gallons per minute and toilets to have a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water per flush. If you have an older home and haven't upgraded these fixtures, you know the place to start making improvements. Note that there are many good products on the market today that use even less water than these maximum standards require, saving even more.
Major home water users such as dishwashers and clothes washers are required to meet federal energy standards, and newer models of these appliances are considerably more water-efficient than older ones. When it's time to replace your home's water-using appliances, you'll find that current models save a great deal of water over what you were using before.
An easy way to get started saving water is to install low-flow shower heads and faucets. Even cheap water flow restrictors can dramatically cut down on water use while still giving a strong stream of water for your shower or other uses. Finally, if you notice any water leaks in the faucets or toilet, get them fixed now, even if they are very slow leaks. You're wasting a huge amount of water and adding to your water bills by letting even tiny drips go unfixed.
If you want to find out how much water you're using in your home now, check out a Water Use Calculator I found on the Internet at www.waterbudgets.com/ConserVision/CUWCC/Datainput.htm.
Inputting information on the water-using fixtures in your home, along with how much you spent on water bills during the past year, will point out how much you can save. It's a great tool for driving home the point on how much water people use and how much of that is really being wasted.
Ken Sheinkopf is a communications specialist with the American Solar Energy Society (www.ases.org). Send your energy questions to askken@ases.org.
HOME ENERGY
Article from Mercury News at: http://www.mercurynews.com/realestatenews/ci_8667475?nclick_check=1
We Must Work To Save Our Planet
Today there is much talk and fear concerning our environment and the economy. These are the very basic and fundamental aspects of our lives. A sound footing on Terrafirma (our earth) and a method of sustaining ourselves in a civilized society are the worries of our society today, both at home and abroad.
We are at the cross roads of success or collapse and no one seems to know what to do, how to do it or if there is really anything that can or should be done. We have to face the facts. Is the earth warming? Is it man made, natural or both? Do we need to clean up our environment?
I say YES! YES! And againYES! We are at a point of confronting a new paradigm and we must all prepare and make the necessary sacrifices to accomplish this. Are there new ways to do thing? Again, YES!
“WE MUST DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW, SO WE CAN DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO LATER”!
At this BlogSpot I want to provide solutions to all of our concerns and promote good health (both spiritually and physically) and Prosperity. I will be posting articles on a regular basis by leading experts in the field of CLIMATE CHANGE both pro and con.
I hope that you will share your thoughts and solutions with us all.
WE WELCOME ALL VIEWPOINTS!!!
TOGETHER WE WILL SUCCEED!
__________________________________________________
We are at the cross roads of success or collapse and no one seems to know what to do, how to do it or if there is really anything that can or should be done. We have to face the facts. Is the earth warming? Is it man made, natural or both? Do we need to clean up our environment?
I say YES! YES! And againYES! We are at a point of confronting a new paradigm and we must all prepare and make the necessary sacrifices to accomplish this. Are there new ways to do thing? Again, YES!
“WE MUST DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW, SO WE CAN DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO LATER”!
At this BlogSpot I want to provide solutions to all of our concerns and promote good health (both spiritually and physically) and Prosperity. I will be posting articles on a regular basis by leading experts in the field of CLIMATE CHANGE both pro and con.
I hope that you will share your thoughts and solutions with us all.
WE WELCOME ALL VIEWPOINTS!!!
TOGETHER WE WILL SUCCEED!
__________________________________________________
GLOBAL DOMAINS INTERNATIONAL Inc.
STATE OF THE PLANET 08
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