We have posted things about electricity, but we haven’t touched much on saving water. We believe that we are headed towards a future where conserving water is just as important or more important than conserving energy. Think about this for a second. Think of the price of diamonds and the price of water. Diamonds are high priced and low on the necessity list, where as water is high on the necessity list and low on the price chart. There will come a day where that switches. We as a society will start paying higher prices for necessities and less for commodities. We are going to take a look at the average toilet and a water saving toilet. We don’t expect that people will run out and change out their toilets, but if you as a consumer are in need of changing out a toilet why not consider a water efficient toilet.
Toilets can range from $100 up to as much as a self cleaning toilet from Japan for $3,000, There are multiple different kinds of toilets; pressure assisted, gravity, vacuum, and dual flush. With so many choices we are just going to give you (the consumer) an average priced toilet versus the water efficient toilet.
The normal toilet:
Highline® Comfort Height™ The Complete Solution™ elongated toilet with left-hand trip lever
Complete Solution toilets are built for convenience and efficiency, providing everything you need in one box as they include the toilet bowl, toilet tank, toilet seat, wax ring, and floor hardware.
29″L x 19-5/8″W x 30″H
This model features Ingenium® technology which provides 3.5-gallon performance in a 1.6-gallon package
NOTE: Complete Solution toilets do not include a supply line as the length needed varies per installation
Part of The Complete Solution™ Toilets
RETAIL AVAILABILITY ONLY
List price*: $298.95 and up
WaterSense toilet:
Highline® Comfort Height™ elongated 1.1 gpf toilet with left-hand trip lever, less seat
Highline Pressure Lite 1.1 gpf toilets are perfect for those customers aggressively seeking the benefits of water conservation, this new toilet qualifies for water rebate programs and contributes to LEED credits. An optimized 1.1-gallon flush setting reduces water consumption by more than 30% over 1.6-gallon toilets, offering a water savings of more than 5,000 gallons of water per toilet, per year.
30-1/8″L x 21-1/4″W x 31-1/4″H
Pressure Assist flushing system
Two-piece toilet
Elongated bowl
Includes trip lever, less seat and supply
Meets strict flushing performance guidelines established by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) WaterSense program
WaterSense labeled toilets use at least 20% less water than standard 1.6-gallon toilets
This product can help a building earn Water Efficiency points in the LEED Green Building Rating System™. See specification sheet for water use data.
List price*: $523.65 and up
As you can see, the watersense toilet is a little more expensive, but let’s take a look at the back end savings. WaterSense labeled toilets are available at a wide variety of price points and a broad range of styles. EPA estimates that a family of four that replaces its home’s older toilets with WaterSense labeled models will, on average, save more than $90 per year in reduced water utility bills, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilets. Additionally, in many areas, utilities offer rebates and vouchers that can lower the price of a WaterSense labeled toilet.
I know you are asking, how much can a watersense toilet really save…Over the course of your lifetime, you will likely flush the toilet nearly 140,000 times. If you replace older, existing toilets with WaterSense labeled models, you can save 4,000 gallons per year with this simpler, greener choice.
On a side note, if you plan on purchasing a watersense toilet, go to THIS website for a rebate. Choose the state you live in, and redeem your rebate.
I was having an interesting conversation with a friend last night about home energy consumption. He pointed out–insightfully–that people would likely control their power use at home more strictly if they had a better tool for management.
Step one is knowledge of what, when, and how much power is being used.
Step two is setting goals and finding the perfect power position.
Step three is utilizing a robust control system to meet those goals.
Maybe he should be writing this post because he turned me on to a neat concept technology that does just that: Current State. This concept comes from thegreenergrass.org and it seems quite useful…and powerful.
Here’s the description from their page:
“How it Works
1. Order the system online, specifying the number of Plug-Ends needed.
2. Install Current State software on your mobile device.
3. Attach Plug-Ends to powered devices around your house.
4. Sync Plug-Ends to software, giving each powered device a descriptive name and confirming its location within your house.
5. Use Current State to remotely monitor your energy usage, control your devices, and set up automatic timers.”
Imagine monitoring your Baltimore home’s power output while on a business trip to Austin, TX, with the ability to shut off energy-sucking outlets at the click of a button. Now that is control that’ll save you money.
Thanks to CNStars17, we took more notice to the IBM commercials and ideas. It seems that everyone is jumping on the Green Train. Exxon, IBM, and the government are just a few of the major organizations that are starting to realize that if we don’t find some new procedures we are going to see our environment and our earth get worse. Here are some of IBM’s new ideas and how their short descriptions:
(1) A Greener Data Center: Reducing energy costs at the heart of their infrastructure.
(2) IBM Software for a Greener World: Transforming their processes, their infrastructure and the way people work.
(3) Energy Efficiency Benchmark Tool: Assess their data center’s performance and benchmark against other companies worldwide.
(4) Solutions for small and medium business: Options for every size of enterprise.
This is just a short description of energy-efficient Internet Technology IBM is incorporating to be more energy conscience. If you would like to look more into it, go HERE. There are more solutions IBM is incorporating, which will be covered later in other posts.
As for CNStars’ question: “What do we think about it”, the answer is plain and simple. We think that it is a little later than it should have happened, but at this time, any company willing to change in order to better our world is great. Companies with the credit and leverage such as IBM is especially exciting, because the average person has a harder time making a world-wide difference. Companies like IBM have the opportunity to pave the way for greener solutions to be more wide-spread.
Wind power in the U.S. is exploding, and we want to show you some of this country’s best resources. For this post we are going to take a snapshot of what’s happening in the state of Kansas (being that it is the state where I was born). First, take a look at these graphics showing the change in American wind production from ‘02 to ‘07.
Capacity 2002
Capacity 2007
That 5 year span saw a huge growth in our total installed megawatts (MW), and if you are keeping up with the topic of new wind projects, you’ll know that there is much more coming online in the near future. For a zoomed in view of what is going on in the sunflower state, check this file.
The maps above and this Kansas map are all from 2007, but they still underscore the seriousness with which the country is taking to harnessing the wind. On the Kansas map there are over 2000 MW in proposed projects, and it is easy to understand why considering Kansas is number three in the country for wind energy potential. The top 5 states are:
#1 North Dakota
#2 Texas
#3 Kansas
#4 South Dakota
#5 Montana
If you watched the PickensPlan video, then you’ll know that we are the world wind superpower. And with an estimated $65 billion flowing into wind capacity through 2015, states like Kansas need to step up and get these projects rolling. We have to get to producing 20% of our electricity from wind as soon as possible if we’re going to follow Pickens’ blueprint, which is no short order since we aren’t expected to be close to that mark by 2020. How do we get there? What are the strategies? Kansas, do you have the answer?
Do you want a serious amount of information on your candidate’s “green” views including interviews and lots more coverage? Over on a site that has some great resources, grist.org, there is a bundle of information about all of the cadidates. Want to know about the Green or Libertarian tickets? Well, they’ve got info on them too. If you’re interested in the energy and climate issues go to their Election ‘08 page now. Make sure to let us know who you think is the strongest nominee in this area.
This video was featured on treehugger.com. It is short and relevant.
The term “green Google” is particularly interesting, and who is to say that YOU are not the person/group that is going make the difference–there is definitely opportunity out there. Listen, if we are on the eve of the energy technology revolution, it is going to take all of us working together to come out on the other side as winners. Get into the action in any way that you can. Here’s a question: Does drilling get us to the point where we will never have this sort of problem again?
This may be an idea that is in left field, but we are going to throw it out there anyways, and see if we can get a response from it. What if we could only use power that we created? What if, we were completely free from a power plant, and we had to create our own power? Let’s say we each had a battery system stored away in the garage somewhere and you had to save up the energy created in order to do the things we love. You have a solar panel on the roof, perhaps a wind turbine in the backyard. One day there isn’t enough wind or sun to generate enough power for you to watch your favorite television show, LOST. What about self made energy?
One of those types would be pedal powered energy. A lot of people like to work out right? You are creating so much energy when you work out, why waste it? THIS guy has created a pedal powered generator. We think it is an awesome idea. People who work out, whether it be treadmills or stationary bikes or even stair steppers. We know, some of you have a Nordic Track stored under your bed that you got and forgot about. How awesome would it be to generate your own energy. Think about it.
HERE is a CNN article intended to make you think. Think about the things you do that use energy. Watching T.V., computer, xbox. It all uses electricity. Like CNN’s first line, what if you had to cycle for a specified time in order to do some of things that are mainly for entertainment. Are those things important enough for you now?
Lastly, we want to show you a video of what a simple pedal powered generator looks like.
If you don’t want to click on the link, then we’ll just tell you that it is a compressed natural gas car (CNG). What is the main benefit to this alternative fuel? It can have, for now at least, a much lower price than what you are currently paying at the pump. Aside from that, it burns cleaner than gasoline and when you buy you are buying a fuel that was probably made in the U.S.
The car’s $25K price tag is even softer on the wallet when you take into account the tax credits, and at $1.50 per gallon for the fuel, there are even more savings to be had. The one issue linked to that $1.50 number is that it relies on a home refueling unit, so there’ll be some extra cost there. There are supposed to be tax credits for the home install though, but make sure to do some research in your state to find out what is available.
The advantages never come without disadvantages, and the biggest for this type of vehicle seems to be the issue of scarcity. The car is hard to find and fueling stations are not ubiquitous. Even if these are big barriers, we still encourage you to crunch some numbers and see if it might work out for you.
Note: We know this post runs opposite of saving money on natural gas in the home, but if a subject will save money in a different area and help the environment at the same time, we are obligated to report.
Gas prices are still stupid, right? We know you want to liberate yourself but aren’t quite sure how to do it. Well, the vehicle highlighted in this post won’t be for everyone, yet it does put a smile on our faces. Here are the requirements:
1. Less than 50 miles driving per day.
2. No need to go over 55 mph.
3. Live in a dry, temperate climate.
4. A helmet.
5. An adventurous side.
That’s right, folks, we’re talking about an electric moped. This moped, however, packs quite a punch. It has a top speed of 55 mph, an estimated range of more than 70 miles (it probably won’t make this mark at high speeds), an expected battery life of 7 - 10 years, and is a ton of fun to drive. Being 100% electric, you could throw some solar panels or a wind turbine up and be driving for free for as long as the bike lasts you. Can anyone say freedom from petrol? It is just too bad a vehicle like this won’t see wider adoption because of silly stuff like lugging the kids around or getting to work dry, but hey, at least some people could convert.
Oh, you want to know what it is?
XM-3500 LI Electric Moped
With a price tag of around $4000 you could trade your car in tomorrow and be saving thousands of gallons and, consequently, thousands of dollars.
