Plumbing tips for saving water and energy.  Most of these plumbing problems represent an opportunity to conserve money and energy.

Here are a few ways your plumber can help you save money and energy

1. Repair leaky plumbing fixtures, one drip can cost up to $70 a year
2. Install low-flow showerheads, save up to $265 a year
3. Switch to a low-flow toilet, save up to $90 a year

Your water heater may be burning excessive energy

1. Tankless water heaters heat water on demand; an endless supply of hot water without energy waste
2. Keep water heater temperature at 120 degrees and insulate hot water pipes; your water heating energy costs will go down
3. Replace your water heater if it is over 8 years old; better efficiency will pay off in energy savings
4. Tankless water heaters do not waste energy heating and re-heating stored water which saves significant energy

Change the way you use water around your home

1. Do not pre-rinse dishes for the dishwasher
2. Do not water landscaping during peak sunlight hours

What is truly staggering is the amount of water and energy that can be saved if all the households in the local area were to repair a simple leaking plumbing fixture. One leaky tap can waste up to 2 gallons of water per day. That adds up to a lot of wasted water every day.

There are huge opportunities all around us to improve water conservation and energy savings. We can all start small, literally one drop at a time.


This was originally posted on http://4rooterguy.com/blog/plumbing-tips-saving-water-energy/

01.Home insulation In brief

• Insulating your roof or ceiling will help keep your home a pleasant temperature, save you money on energy bills, and pay for itself over time.
• Several different materials are available — the best one for you depends on your particular circumstances and preferences.
• With non-renewable energy resources dwindling, insulation is even more crucial nowadays, and mandatory if you’re building a new home — see Mandatory energy ratings.

How insulation works

Heat always travels towards cooler areas. Insulation works by reducing the amount of heat entering from outside your home when it’s hot, and trapping warmth inside when it’s cold outside. The highest percentage of heat transfer occurs via the roof and ceiling, so it’s most important to insulate here. Insulation materials work by affecting some or all of the below three ways of heat transfer.

• Conduction is the direct transfer of heat through solid materials. A metal poker put into a fire is heated through conduction.
• Convection involves the transport of heat via the movement of gases or liquids. You’ll feel convection taking place in a two-storey house — the heat rises from the lower floor to the top.
• Radiation is the transfer of heat across space from a warm body to a cold one — an example is the heat emitted by a bar radiator.

Materials
Insulation can be grouped into three categories:

Bulk Bulk insulation contains fibres that trap tiny pockets of air, which resist heat flow because these air pockets are poor conductors.
Types of bulk insulation available include:

• Glasswool. (fibreglass)
• Rockwool*
• Natural wool* (often mixed with polyester)
• Polyester*
• Polystyrene boards
• Loose fill (made of shredded or granulated material)

Some examples are:

• Cellulose fibre (made from recycled paper)
• Natural wool
• Granulated rockwool

* All come as batts or blankets.

Reflective Reflective insulation dramatically reduces infrared radiant heat transfer from a hot surface to a cooler one. It's available as:

• Foil sheets laminated onto paper
• Concertina-style foil
• as a multi-cell foil product (silver batts) — a structure made of two to four layers of foil with air spaces in between
• To reflect heat, foil insulation needs to face an air space of at least 25 mm.

Composite Composite materials combine elements of the two other types.
These include:

• Batts or blankets with foil backing (foil side facing out)
• Foil-faced boards

Which is best? While manufacturers of each type tend to talk up their product, experts say any insulation is preferable to none, and every material has its place. The product chosen usually depends on personal issues, such as:

• Price
• Whether it’s made from recycled material
• Where the insulation is being installed
• Who’s doing the installation (DIY or professional installers)

Read more: http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/household/heating-and-cooling/home-heating/home-insulation-buying-guide.aspx#ixzz30VxRKAdU