Save $$ With Eco-Friendly Products!

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Care to save some cash? It seems as if now a days everywhere you turn there is an advertisment, a message, a plea to “Go Green.” In today’s society, we are more fast-paced, alarmingly wasteful, and unnecessarily wasting the precious resources that our planet has given us.

How can we be more efficient? What can you really do to “Go Green?” Sure you can do the simple things like turn off the lights in the rooms no one is using. You can turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth or shaving. Making sure the sprinklers in the lawn are off when it rains, and even something as simple as recycling can help.

Through programs such as Be Water Wise, and SoCal Water$mart, the government is giving out rebates to residents who have become more water efficient. Manufacturers of bathroom and kitchen water fixtures are also helping residents and businesses become more water efficient. Staying ahead of the design curve, popular manufacturers such as Toto, Duravit, Altmans, and Hansgrohe are making it easy to become more water efficient without disrupting your daily routine. High efficient toilets use less water per flush, and new showerheads have less water flow without impacting the water pressure. Cutting down on water usage is a great way to “go green,” and if it puts a little bit of extra cash in your pocket with lower water bills then why not?! It is a win-win situation! A Plumbtile representative will be happy to help you save our planet as well as some cash!

Guest Post: Geothermal Heat Pumps Reduce Energy and Enhance the Quality of Air

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Former Oklahoma University researcher demonstrates how geothermal heat pumps reduce energy and enhance the quality of air.

After several years working with geothermal energy James Bose at Oklahoma State University has invented a new home geothermal heating and cooling method.

Heat pumps operate as a refrigerator in reverse, they normally use electrical energy to move heat from one place to another rather than generating heat directly. Therefore, they can be 2-3 times more energy-efficient than conventional electric heating units.

A geothermal heat pump is a central heating and/or cooling system that pumps heat to/or from the ground. It uses the earth as a heat source (in the winter months) or a heat sink (in the summer months).

Geothermal pump units are among the most energy efficient technologies for providing HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) and water heating.

The set up costs are higher than classic systems (nearly $45,000 reduced by 30 per cent with government tax credit), but the difference is commonly returned in energy savings in 3 to 10 years.

The Gerald McClain’s geothermal system is based on:

  • 6 one inch diameter pipes sunk 300 feet into the soft red clay below his home
  • A water antifreeze mix in the pipes that picks up the ground’s constant 62 degree F. temperature
  • Three heat pumps in the attic that use a small electric powered compressor to heat or cool the home

The energy for the pumps costs approximately $100 a month, much less than the normal heating and cooling costs in the area.

A well controlled heat pump unit will not only consume less electricity but will also help remove dust from the home, improving indoor air quality. Indoor dust can pose health risks especially to young children. Data released on the epa.gov site in September 2009 reveals that indoor dust is highly polluted by persistent and endocrine disrupting chemical substances such as poly-chlorinated biphenyls.

Heat pumps get energy performance by transferring heat around as opposed to liberating it. This is not to say there is no air movement with a heat pump, but the heat move reduces that process. So does the lack of a cold-cycle as it exists in many standard furnaces, which can act to blow dust through the house.

About the writer – Lorie Wampler writes for the heat pumps ratings blog. It’s a non-profit web site concentrated on her personal knowledge with air cooling to cut down energy usage and improve indoor air quality. With this she would like to increase the consciousness on eco-friendly tips for the home and change the public perception of energy efficiency.

Recycled Glass Mosaics- The Easy Option

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Mosaics have always been a favorite sight of mine, ever since I was a little kid. I’d sit down and count all of the blue tiles, or trace out the patterns with my fingers. Even now, I inspect them closely, looking for imperfections in the glass or clay or how it relates to the feel of the room as a whole.

And my favorite type of mosaic tile lately has been recycled glass. Continue reading →

EPA Lets You Save Money While Saving Money

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Refitting home plumbing can be an expensive pain in the neck, especially when the government says to do it for new regulations. All of a sudden, what you thought were perfectly good pipes, showerheads and toilets aren’t up to snuff. Sometimes old fixtures are pardoned, but what about when you need to buy new faucets or showerheads? Luckily the Enivronmental Protection Agency has been handing out rebates to help out. Continue reading →

Buy Tankless Water Heaters Cheap With A Government Discount

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The Obama administration is moving forward with helping people not only become more environmentally friendly, but also helping citizens save money while they revamp their homes. The American Recovery and Reinvesment Act of 2009 has been extended until the end of 2010. This enables even more Americans to enjoy a technology that is better for their wallets and the environment- tankless water heaters. Continue reading →

Save Water and Save Money

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Since my last blog was about saving money, I thought I’d follow it up with another one on the same topic. While I can go on and on about fixtures that save you money by saving water, what if those fixtures don’t work?

While I stand by the products that I promote on here like Toto, Cifial, Duravit and Porcher, not everything is perfect. Leaks can happen over time, from a manufacturer’s defect, deterioration or accidental damage from use. Big leaks are easy to detect; often there is an annoying sound accompanying those. What about silent or intermittent leaks? Continue reading →

10 Easy Energy and Money Saving Tips

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eco-earth-friendly-eventsWe’re in the middle of spring, so now is a great time to start optimizing your home and habits towards more eco-friendly practices. As we get closer towards summer, energy costs go up due to more air conditioning, showers and water-cooling being used. In addition to this, using any appliance will warm the house, counteracting any cooling you may attempt.
Continue reading →

Toto, Caroma and Jaclo- Saving Water and Greener Living

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As we head into winter, saving water isn’t a high priority on most people’s minds. However, the tight economic times may make some of us think twice before the expensive summer months arrive. There are a number of ways to save so I’m going to mention a few water saving products that can drastically reduce your water usage. The most impressive is Caroma, a company based in Australia, who is noted for their extremely efficient designs. Toto and Jaclo also have great design combined with an ecofriendly construction. Continue reading →

Green ways to save money in your bathroom

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There are oh-so-many ways I could talk about ecofriendly products that we offer, so I’m going to break this up into different articles so I can focus on different aspects of how to apply green bathroom and green kitchen design in your home. I’m going to talk about Panasonic and Rheem and the two big ways they can help improve your energy consumption and your quality of life.

Continue reading →

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