More Ideas & Tips

Solar panels can cost effectively convert sunlight into electricity, powering everything from lamps to electronic devices and even pool pumps.

A fuel cell can provide new or replace existing supplies of electricity. Using air and a source of hydrogen (e.g. natural gas or propane), a fuel cell generates electricity with water and carbon dioxide as a by-product. Typically, fuel cells have a 40% to 60% efficiency, which can climb to 85% if the exhaust heat is fully utilized. In comparison, cars and PV generators only have a an efficiency of 25%.

Wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing and bathing, can be recycled for irrigation purposes in a greywater system.

A rainwater cistern can help reduce your demand for utility supplied water used for irrigation, particularly in seasons of unpredictable rainfall. An especially large cistern can also store rainfall for use in dry seasons.

Drain water often takes with it significant amounts of heat. A heat recovery system uses warm drain water to warm pipes that are bringing in fresh, clean water on its way to your water heater - thereby reducing the energy the water heater needs to expend to do its job.

Some stoves, especially older models, aren't energy-efficient.

A leaky toilet can waste approximately 75,000 litres of water per year. Toilet leaks in many cases can be obvious (e.g. sounds coming from the toilet when it's not running), but in other cases can be harder to detect.

A dripping faucet couldleak as much as 100 litres of water over a24 hour period, or 3,000 litres a month. It'sbeen estimated that one leaky tap couldwaste enough water in one year to fill twoswimming pools!SOURCE: CONSERVATION BOOK P. 18

Pools naturally lose water to evaporation and splash-out. Your pool may also gain water from rainfall. Pools should be watertight, but sealants deteriorate and over time parts of your pool can shift and crack causing leaks.

Watering during the day or when hot outside is ineffective since almost all the water will simply evaporate before being absorbed by the lawn.