Replace Old Appliances: Save the Earth… and Some Money

If you are looking to trim some money off of your utility bills and help out Mother Earth at the same time, your first green steps could start in the kitchen and laundry rooms.

According to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), since 2000, the energy consumed by new home appliances has rapidly decreased, with refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers accounting for nearly 50% of the drop.  For instance, replacing an eight year-old clothes washer with a newer average-efficiency one will not only trim more than $60 off of your electricity bill every year, it will also save nearly 5,000 gallons of water per year – a statistic that carries significantly more weight in drought-ridden areas of the South.

Not ready to take quite that leap of replacing your perfectly well working appliances?  Here are a few tips to save some energy and trim down those bills with what you already have:

• Allow hot foods to cool before placing them in the refrigerator.  Also, cover any foods that may release moisture.
• Limit the number of times you open the refrigerator and freezer doors.
• Scrape, but do not pre-rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
• Use that “no-heat air dry” feature on your dishwasher when you are not in a rush.
• Make sure to appropriately set the load size on your clothes washer and use the cold water settings whenever possible.
• Leave the door open on the washer when you are finished washing to allow air to circulate.
• Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load (you might even want to do the same to the dryer’s outside exhaust on a regular basis).

Simply by taking these steps, you will be well on your way to a greener lifestyle (environmentally and financially).

First Steps Toward a Greener Home

An environmentally friendlier home (emphasis on the “friendlier) should be the goal of every homeowner and builder, says Nick DiCosola, president and founder of the Chicago-based custom-homebuilding firm Distinguished Dwellings (www.distinguishedwellings.com). And according to DiCosola, most of the upgrades that can make a home greener and more energy efficient won’t affect its traditional appearance. In fact, visitors to your home won’t even notice most of the green upgrades you make.

Of course, if you want to provide visual statements to your commitment to green building, you can opt for bamboo flooring, countertops made from recycled materials, and similar materials that will make your home look good as well as more efficient and eco-friendly. DiCosola calls these “aesthetic green” improvements, and draws a distinction between them and “functional green” improvements, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to incorporate in any home, no matter its design or location. Some of DiCosola’s functional green home improvements include the following:

• Insulation: Use as much as you can appropriately fit in any given space. There are many new insulation choices available today, ranging from recycled newspapers and denim to injected foam. High-absorption insulation also slows the flow and leakage of heat.

• Furnace: Install a power-vented, dual-stage furnace with an efficiency rating of 90+ percent.

• Hot water heater: Install a tankless, on-demand hot-water heater, which is 20- to 25-percent more efficient than a traditional hot-water tank and takes up much less space.

• Low-flow toilets and washing machine: An older toilet can use three to seven gallons of water per flush. Today’s standard low-flow toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush and save thousands of gallons of water a year. Dual-flush toilets, widely used in Europe, are the next step in efficiency

• Low-E and argon-filled windows: These produce the best R-factor (degree of insulation) and minimize the escape of heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. Triple-glazed or paned windows are the ultimate in energy-efficiency

• Energy Star heating and cooling products: The EPA says that if 10 percent of households used these energy-saving appliances and products, we could keep 17 billion pounds of pollution out of the air.

• Build tight with ventilation: Homes that are built tighter are more comfortable and less drafty. However, it is important to bring in fresh air through mechanical means such as a heat-recovery ventilation unit.

Now is the time to incorporate energy-saving features, DiCosola says, as the expense of building green is on the decline. While it used to cost at least 15 percent more to build with green products, it will now only add one to three percent to construction costs.

5 Bathroom Remodeling Tips

Planning a bathroom remodeling project this summer? It’s one of the best investments you can make in your home, according to real estate experts. Should you ever consider selling your home, the condition and amenities of the bathrooms “can really make or break a sale,” says Silas Deane, president of Baden Bath, located in Nashville, Tenn. He offers the following tips for homeowners embarking on a bathroom remodeling project.

• Design for functionality. Most bathrooms are used by more than one person, so keep that in mind when designing your new bathroom. If possible, separate toilets from the rest of the bathroom, and consider installing double sinks.

• Let there be light. Even if your bathroom is small, you can make it appear larger by lightening it up with either natural light or lighting fixtures.

• Feel free to vent. Proper ventilation prevents mold and mildew, two common problems in bathrooms. Many energy-efficient venting systems are available that can help control moisture and improve indoor air quality as well.

• Go tankless. Customized shower systems and tubs often require a greater volume of water. But rather than rely on an inefficient tank-style water heater, consider a tankless, on-demand water heater, which heats water as it flows through the heater and helps control energy costs.

• Expect the unexpected. With bathroom plumbing, unexpected problems can arise, resulting in unexpected costs. Set aside roughly 10 percent of the cost of labor for a cushion.

Tankless Water Heater Q&A

Many homeowners have heard about tankless or “on demand” water heaters (also called instant water heaters, though installers are quick to point out that the hot water isn’t delivered “instantly”). And with today’s rising energy costs, many homeowners are considering installing these devices. However, questions abound.

An alternative to tank-style water heaters, where the water is heated and then stored in a tank until its needed (which sounds incredible inefficient, doesn’t it?), a tankless water heat is essentially a box that mounts on the wall and heats the water only when you need it. A typical tankless unit can operate up to three devices (shower, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc.) simultaneously, according to Rheem, a manufacturer of tankless water heaters. The company provided the following Q&A to help homeowners better understand how to make the transition between a tank water heater and a tankless unit.

Question:  What is the first step in making the switch to a tankless water heater?

Answer: The first step is to hire an experienced contractor or plumber for installation.  He or she will advise you on the right model for your home, and your installation options.

During installation, your old water heater is disconnected and removed.  Next, your installer will mount the new tankless water heater inside or outside your home, and connect necessary plumbing, piping and venting.

Because tankless heaters “fire” at a much higher temperature than tank-based heaters – but for a much shorter time – you may need to upgrade your natural gas piping to accommodate the increased flow of natural gas needed by the tankless heater.  Your installer will be able to advise on this and other issues.

Question:  How much money can I save by going tankless?

Answer: This will depend on how much hot water you consume and the efficiency of your current water heater.  Typically, an average homeowner can save up to 35 percent on water heating costs by switching to a tankless water heater.

Question:  Will there be a difference in my hot water with a tankless heater?

Answer: Yes!  You won’t be running out of it anymore – and you won’t be paying to keep a tank of water hot when you’re not using it.  You’ll be able to have someone showering, the laundry going, hot water for the breakfast dishes in the sink, and still you won’t run out.  As with a tank water heater, there will still be a short period when you first turn on the tap before the hot water hits the faucet, but it won’t run out (once it has started) before you’re finished.

Question: Can anything be done about the time it takes for the water to heat up after I turn on my fixture?  It’s quite wasteful.

Answer: The time it takes for the hot water to reach your faucet is not due to waiting on your water heater to start working.  Rather, it takes a few seconds (and perhaps longer, depending on your home) for the cooled water in the pipes to be displaced by the hot water from your heater.  Granted, this can be wasteful, given that the standard 3/4-inch pipe holds a quarter gallon of water for every 10 feet of pipe.

One solution is to have a professional contractor or plumber install a circulation pump system in your home.  These can be triggered by motion sensors so that, for example, when you walk into your bathroom, the pump would start and pull hot water from the heater and circulate the cold water in your pipes back to the heater.

Another solution would be to install tankless water heaters in different parts of your house, so the distance from the water heater to your faucet is shortened.

For more information on Rheem tankless water heaters, visit www.rheemtankless.com.

Toilets That Make Sense

The average family uses about 400 gallons of water per day, according to estimates, with up to 26 percent of that daily usage attributed to flushing toilets. To reduce some of that water usage – and trim water bills as well – homeowners can install some of the newer low-flow toilets, such as three water-conserving models from Wisconsin-based Kohler Co.

Highline and Wellworth Pressure Lite toilets from Kohler incorporate pressure-assisted technology, which ensures one-flush, no-plug performance on as little 1.1 gallons per flush (gpf). That’s a 30 percent reduction in water usage when compared to standard 1.6-gpf models, and is enough to qualify the toilets for water rebate programs in certain localities. In addition, it has earned the toilets the WaterSense label from the Environmental Protection Agency. Similar to Energy Star, WaterSense is an EPA program designed to highlight water-efficient products.

The Highline and Wellworth water-conserving toilets can save homeowners more than 5,000 gallons of water per toilet, per year, according to Kohler. The toilets are also available in 1.4-gpf models, which can save 2,000 gallons of water per toilet, per year.

A third model, the San Raphael Power Lite toilet, uses an electric pump inside the tank to improve efficiency and conserve water. The dual-flush toilet uses just 1.0 gallons of water for light flushes and 1.4 for heavier waste, averaging just 1.08 gallons per flush. It, too, can save about 5,000 gallons of water per year over standard 1.6-gpf gravity-fed toilets. Multiply those savings by a neighborhood, town or city, and you’re saving significant amounts of potable water. For more information: 800-4-KOHLER or www.kohler.com.