sappatoti
Posts: 14844
Joined: 10/30/2006
From: the edge of darkness...
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ocilla
quote:
ORIGINAL: sappatoti
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My situation today is figuring out ways of reducing water usage to bring the water bill back down below $177 US per month. I know I live in a newly classified micro-desert type environment, but when the house was built five years ago, the bill was about $100 US per month less than what it is now. And no, we don't have any leaks, for the gallons used amount hasn't changed outside of a 2% swing either way. Anyone got any ideas?
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OKAY SAPPA...this is one of my areas of expertise. Being all about green building a good chunk of it is water use efficiency.
So how are you currently using water is the first question?
showers
cooking
laundry
dishes and cleaning
flushing
and typically the most guilty culprit outdoor watering
showers - install low flow head - its cheap and you will still have plenty of power - the head restricts the water and forces it out with ore pressure
Already on. Have been since the house was built, and the is no lower flow head out there than the ones we already have installed. That was mandated by code before the CO could be issued.
quote:
ORIGINAL: ocilla
laundry - ideally switch to a side loading machine. Costs more but usually pays for self. A top loader takes approx 40 gallons per wash versus a side loader which averages 15 gallons per load. There are other advantages to horizontal loaders as well. Easier on your clothing and uses less energy.
Yes, we have a top load washer, brand new with the house. I suggested that a front-loader be installed, but due to a medical and physical limitation that one of the inhabitants here has, the top-loader works best for them.
quote:
ORIGINAL: ocilla
Toilet - replace it. the current code is 1.Gal per flush but many people have older toilets which use up to 6 gallons per flush. I like the Niagara flapperless toilet sold at home depot under their glacier bay brand name.
Already installed in the house; mandated by local code in order to get the CO for the dwelling.
quote:
ORIGINAL: ocilla
Sinks and lavatories: attach restricter or diffuser to faucets - very cheap purchase at home depot again.
Already installed in the house; mandated by local code in order to get the CO for the dwelling.
quote:
ORIGINAL: ocilla
Finally outdoor water: First use only native or adapted plants. Get rid of or limit any lawn you have (grass is drug addicted toxic carpeting anyway). Use a water sensor irrigation system if you must have irrigation. And finally do what I do - collect rainwater off of your roof into barrels and use this water for the garden and car washing etc. Some folks use such water for their laundry as well although the health department would not approve.
Local code mandates, for now, that St. Augustine grass be installed on the lawns. This is being challenged as I write this, but it's a long, slow process that involves many different levels of government to get approvals to change the covenants. Currently, any homeowner in the subdivision that does NOT maintain at least 80% of their property as lawn can be (and some have) prosecuted for violating current covenants and municipal codes.
I know... that's an asinine situation, but that's what it is. The homeowners association has a lot of work to do, and is being forward thinking, in trying to implement more environmentally friendly changes to the landscape environment for our community. Unfortunately, in so doing, they've opened the virtual can-o-worms that's simply inundated the local city council with "if they're doing it, then so are we." As it is right now, until all levels of the government (community, city, county, and state), and other ancillary agencies (local and regional water authorities) are in agreement, any plans to change flora and irrigation requirements and code are indefinitely suspended.
Because we're saddled with St. Augustine grass, we must irrigate twice a week to maintain it in this brutal heat and sun. There's no way around that... people who've decided not to irrigate and left their lawns to either die or have replaced them with non-St. Augustine alternatives are paying a higher monetary price now, in fines and the costs associated with putting St. Augustine back in their lawns, than they would have if they simply stayed with the twice per week watering schedule.
As for a rain sensor switch, it's installed by code, again necessary in order to get a CO. However, with the exception of the hurricanes of '04, we've not had sufficient rain to trigger those devices. As written in the code, the switch consists of a substance that absorbs water to the point that when the equivalent of 1" of rain has fallen, it shuts off the irrigation system. The code is so specific in that requirement that when the city's irrigation inspector made the first visit to the house, he wrote up a warning because the sensor that was originally installed shut the irrigation system down after the equivalent of 1/2" of rain had accumulated. It was argued that it was better for water conservation at that lower rate, but it didn't fly... a 1" sensor had to be installed to maintain code. I've even suggested to the homeowners' association that they start investigating the use of a sophisticated underground sensor system that measures the actual ground moisture instead of that simulated by the current airborn rain accumulator. They were told to not waste their time as that system would be in violation of the very specific specifications for the current sensor written into the local code. When the city was asked when they were going to update their code, the response was something to the effect that it was "not high on the list of priorities."
As for collecting rain water... believe it or not, there's a local health code that prohibits that activity, unless the capture mechanism is A) sealed to prevent small animals and children from falling or crawling into it, and B) accessible so the health and safety officers can perform an inspection of it and, if necessary, institute whatever chemical treatment may be necessary to prevent the growth of insects and/or other diseases (mosquito and amoeba control). In addition, the community covenants prohibit the use of rain barrels as they are considered to be an eye sore. Given these circumstances, the only way to collect rainwater that would meet both sets of requirements would be through the use of below grade cisterns... a very expensive proposition given that not enough rainfall occurs now to justify the cost of installing them (like the rest of the Southeast, our immediate community is down 24" in rainfall over last year's totals).
Having stated all this, what's lost in your argument, which is an excellent tutorial for those who can benefit from them, is the fact that, as I stated originally, the water use has NOT increased in the five years the house has been here. With the exception of the first month, when the irrigation system was running twice per day for an entire month (necessary to ensure that the newly planted lawn and shrubbery not die), the monthly water use has remained consistent... the same amount of water is being used now as it was five years ago. There has been no increase in water usage.
Thus, the usage that was a mere $45/month five years ago is now $145/month (the rest of the bill is for recycling and garbage collection). Obviously, the price increases have been implemented, without public discussion or approval, by the regional water authority to the local water districts and cities, who've passed the increased cost on to the consumers. I guess, this whole drawn out post is basically a rant over our local officials raising the cost of living without us being able to weigh in on their decision.
Sorry about that...
_____________________________
Never mind the man on the edge of the darkness... he means no harm...
"Community, Identity, Stability." ~ A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley, 1932
If you don't like my attitude, QUIT TALKING TO ME!
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