Jazzy Brick

Posts Tagged ‘eco friendly’

 

Everybody knows that this coming summer would be a great time to spend a vacation, right? Everyone could be going to beaches and have some wonderful time out there. But it is also a great time to learn new things. As a parent, the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to learning new things is to learn new things that can protect your home and your family, right? And because it’s almost summer, it means, the cold season is not far behind, right? Here’s a strong and good suggestion. How about learning how to make your own DIY solar heating apparatus today? A lot of people are now trying to learn this kind of thing and they did it with ease and convenience when they learned how with the help of book guides that are available on the Net today. Shouldn’t be a great time today to learn on your own how to make such things?

Okay, that is a great idea. Now, the problem lies to how you can ever going to learn to build your own Homemade solar water heater. You could be lucky because of the hype of this kind of thing, there are now numerous schools or training grounds that can offer courses on how to make these kinds of gadgets that can help save everyone electricity, money and the environment as well. A lot of people are really very conscious about this and they are crawling figuratively just to get to a learning school and learn how to make things that will make life convenient and at the same time money-saving. All over the country, there are numerous schools that offer classes on how to make wind turbines, solar panels and homemade solar water heaters.

Now, what if you are too busy to go out of your way and spend your time learning how to make any of these things? Are there any other alternative methods like learning how to build and design solar water heater? Well, you can actually learn to make all these things right in your own home and the only learning tool you need in order to possibly do that is a downloadable media like an e-book guide or software and there are several sites that offer these educational products.

How to Install a Low-flow Faucet Aerator

You may have noticed a new trend lately in going green, but this choice doesn’t have to put you in the poor house. It can be as simple as attaching a $2.99 add on to your kitchen faucet. Be aware, it’s easy to make expensive mistakes if you don’t spend some time on research. Many manufacturers label their product as “earth friendly” or “green” but there are no government standards in place currently to define what makes an item eco-friendly or not.

Follow these 5 tips to assist you on your journey to create a kitchen that will save you money, give you a fresh new look, & save the world all at once:

1. Buy a low-flow water faucet/aerator

• Why: A shiny new faucet is a simple upgrade, but kitchen faucets can vary from 1.5 – 4 gallons per minute in water flow. Low-flow bathroom faucets with the Environmental Protection Agency’s new WaterSense label are usually 30 percent more efficient than older models.

• Simple Eco Upgrade: Until the government comes up with some industry standard for low-flow kitchen faucets, for $3 to $11 you can make most new or existing taps more efficient simply by attaching an aerator. These simple devices save water plus lower utility bills as well, because less hot water is consumed. Because of this, low-flow aerators will typically pay you back in about 90 days.

• Cons: With lower flow, it might take a bit longer to fill that 2 gallon pot for spaghetti night.

• Suggested Purchase: Look for a gallon per minute rating of less than 2 gallons per minute or GPM (some are as high as 4 GPM). Many Kohler models offer an aerator that can reduce the GPM rate by about 25 percent. Remember, adjustable aerators can also be found for your faucet. Adjust the aerator to the slow speed when using the faucet for typical use and set it to high speed to fill up big pans with water. Another green choice is a hands-free faucet, like the Danze Parma D421058, $480 or other low-flow Danze faucets.

• Keep in Mind: When you find a faucet that fits your budget and style, make sure it has a lifetime warranty that covers stains and water-wasting leaks. Also, some kitchen aerators will allow you to flip between two flow rates without affecting the water temperature

2. Switch to low wattage lighting

• Why: Modern kitchens can use up to 2,000 watts for lighting (especially track lighting) because standard incandescent, halogen, and xenon lights are energy vacuums. All that excess heat radiating from lights might motivate you to turn down the A/C to cool things off.

• Simple Eco Upgrade: Switch to cool-burning compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in your fixtures, and also consider adding some LED or fluorescent under cabinet task lighting. This simple remodel costs a little under $200 for 5 fluorescent fixtures.

• Cons: A handful of CFLs and LEDs cast a bluish or other odd color light. Before you buy, ask if you can return the fixture if you don’t like the way the light looks with your décor. Even better, try the brand new light in your local Home Depot or ask an associate for a recommendation.

• Suggested Purchase: Strips are the most common type of task lighting, round “hockey puck” lights are best for casting pools of light onto a counter and linear lights are best if you need more versatile fixtures. Both round “puck” lights and linear lights can be discovered with LEDs.

• Keep in Mind: If your cabinets don’t have a built-in valence to hide task lighting, either add one or choose a fixture with a sleek housing that’s not as noticeable.

3. Install a ceiling fan

• Why: Kitchens get hot, and if you use an air conditioner to cool things off, it will gobble up a lot of energy and money.

• Simple Eco Upgrade: A ceiling fan in the kitchen will use only a fraction of the electricity that an A/C would.

• Cons: Aesthetics, few people have ceiling fans in kitchens for a reason, it doesn’t usually look good.

• Suggested Purchase: There are a number of great models from Hampton Bay, Harbor Breeze, and Hunter, and most circulate air about the same. So rather than shop for a particular brand, go for a style you like and remember that lighting affects energy use.

• Keep in Mind: You might be able to find CFLs designed for ceiling fans that can replace the original bulbs and save energy. You need to remember current CFL’s don’t function correctly with fans that have light dimmers.

4. Refurbish with second hand materials

• Why: A new countertop or cabinet face can change the whole look of your kitchen, but producing them keeps coal power plants polluting the air and some “earth friendly” materials aren’t as green as they might seem.

• Simple Eco Upgrade: Before you buy new, see if you can find used materials.

• Suggested Purchase: Salvage shops are stocked with new or lightly used stone countertops, hardwood flooring, decorative lumber, and kitchen cabinets, so they’re a great place to look for bargains. Even better, Habitat for Humanity sells used and surplus building materials at outlets called ReStores.

• Keep in Mind: If you will buy brand new, at least search for greener cabinets and other products made from sustainable lumber and materials.

5. Trade in/Sell the biggest energy hogs

• Why: The appliances in your kitchen that take the most energy to operate are refrigerators and dishwashers. The more geriatric these appliances are, the less energy efficient they are and the more expensive they are to run.

• Simple Eco Upgrade: Only open the doors when you know what you want. Don’t waste time “browsing” with an open fridge. Typically, it’s not cost effective to replace working appliances with new ones. Search for models that are quieter and need less energy when you decide to update. Even with energy efficient models costing more dough, you’ll recover the investment as your utility bills shrink.

• Suggested Purchase: Look for appliances that are Energy Star qualified. These ENERGY STAR approved fridges need only 50% of the energy as the energy hogs manufactured before 1993. Also ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerator models use high efficiency compressors, improved insulation, and more exact temperature and defrost mechanisms to increase energy efficiency. Replacing a dishwasher manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher can save you more than $30 a year in utility costs. These also use much less water than conventional models. If not on city septic, this can also help extend the life of your septic tank.

• Keep in Mind: You don’t have to get rid of all the old appliances at once. Start with the ones that are the biggest energy hogs. When repairs would cost more than 50% of a new appliance, it makes sense to go ahead and replace them with a new one.

If this is all seems complicated some online retailers make it easier for you such as Designer Plumbing Outlet with the help of Site Search technology by SLI Systems. This environmentally responsible company has included a search filtering option for “Eco-Friendly” when looking for any item on their website. This helps makes the search easier and makes going green even simpler when buying new.

 

Swimming pools are not noted for being particularly eco-friendly. The need for swimming pool chemicals to keep the water clean is just one aspect that makes them bad for the environment.

But driven by an increasing demand for eco-friendly swimming pools and pool products there are now some genuinely viable, natural alternatives to the conventional style of swimming pool.

Natural swimming pools involve the use of plants and organic cleansers to keep the pool water clean and useable. The use of plants makes the design of these natural pools more like ponds or aquatic gardens, providing a relaxing, natural oasis that is good for wildlife as well as swimming.

Natural pools, like conventional swimming pools, use a man made barrier to separate the pool from the ground. These liners tend to be made from reinforced polyethylene or rubber. Algae is kept at bay in natural pools by using appropriate plants and ultraviolet sterilisers. No more harsh chemicals like chlorine.

One disadvantage of natural pools at present is the cost. Building a natural swimming pool will currently cost you more than a conventional pool, and it will take longer to establish the plants and environment needed to carry out the natural water filtration. But the future for natural swimming pools looks very promising as more people insist on minimising their negative impact on the environment. A natural swimming pool will save you money in the long run as they are cheaper and easier to maintain.

Owning an outdoor swimming pool in the United Kingdom means that you have to think about swimming pool heating systems. Today there are a number of effective solar and heat pump based pool heating systems that are very effective.

Swimming pool solar heating, wherein the pool water is pumped through panels that absorb the suns rays, is becoming increasingly popular. Combine this system with Solar Sun Rings and you can have a swimming pool that is extremely low cost, safe and comfortable to use.

Converting a conventional swimming pool into a natural pool is quite a simple task. Instead of the smell of chlorine you will have a beautiful, natural pool that is both an attractive visual addition to your garden and a relaxing place to swim.