Sustainable Living Tips – Make Every Drop Matter

13 Water and Energy Saving Tips for Washing Machine and Dryer

Sarah Jones — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 03:30:22 +0000

Even though washing our clothes by hand may save ourselves the most energy, it’s not ideal for our modern era. Whether you are washing your clothes at home, or run a laundromat business, here are our top tips and tricks on saving money on your next electric bill.

Update Your Equipment

1. Purchase An Up-To-Date Machine

In case you don’t currently own a certified washing machine, it may be time to purchase one for yourself or your business. By choosing the best water efficient washing machine, you can save nearly 8 gallons of water per use. These savings can even amount up to $25 per year for every machine you own.

2. Purchase A Font-Load Specific Washing Machine

Buying you or your business a front-loading washing machine can seriously help you reduce your heating and water costs since they use much less water than top-load washing machines.

3. Buy Energy-Efficient Hot Water Heaters

An energy-efficient water heater can help you save money every month. Plus, the purchase may qualify you for a variety of discounts for solar or tankless units for your home or business. Check with your local energy suppliers to see how much you can save.

4. Improve Your Hot Water Tank’s Insulation and Turn Down its Temperature

If you notice that your hot water tank is costing you in energy bills, it might be smart to improve its insulation to have it function more effectively. Additionally, turning down your hot water tank’s temperature below 120 degrees can also help you save money.

Washing Tips

5. Use Cold Water More Often

Instead of using hot water, switch to cold water. According to a washing machine water usage comparison, you can save up to 90 percent on your energy bill. Plus, making the switch can save nearly enough energy to run your house for a full week. Not to mention, cold washing your clothes can reduce wrinkles, remove stains, and brighten colors.

6. Load Up Your Washer or Dryer Before Using

No matter how many clothes you have in your wash or dryer, it will always use the same amount of energy. Load up your machines as much as you can to prevent overusing electricity for half full loads.

7. Optimize Energy Saving Options

When using your washer or dryer, optimize your energy saving options. For example, choose a high spin option for faster drying times and don’t wash your items longer than what’s required. Believe it or not, some things only need to be washed for 10 minutes or less.

8. Opt Out Of Extra Rinse Cycles

Even though the majority of washing machines have extra rinse cycles, you can opt out of this cycle to help save water and electricity.

Drying Tips

9. Always Clean the Lint Filter

After each load, clean out the lint filter. This will boost air circulation and reduce drying times.

10. Optimize Your Settings

Using the correct settings can help you to save energy. For your delicates, choose a low temperature. For most other laundry, select medium. Opt in for auto-dry instead of timed dry. This will prevent over-drying, shrinking, static electricity, and wear.

11. Keep the Room Warm

If you can, put your dryer in a warm room, rather than a cold basement. With warmer air entering your dryer, it will require less energy to heat up.

12. Choose Gas

When picking out your dryer, choose an energy-efficient one like this Electrolux gas dryer which saves between $75 to $100 per week.

13. Dry Faster

You can dry your clothes faster by tossing a dry towel or tennis ball in the dryer with your wet laundry. A towel can help to absorb the extra moisture. A tennis ball, on the other hand, can help the air to circulate more freely between your clothes.

The post 13 Water and Energy Saving Tips for Washing Machine and Dryer appeared first on Make Every Drop Matter.

Water Pump Maintenance Tips l Save Energy Save Money

Sarah Jones — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 09:20:53 +0000

Regardless of the nature of the business you do, you need pumps if you are moving. However, this requires tremendous energy, but people must look for creative ways to save the cost of energy and money. Water pump installation cost can be quite high, but with the right steps, it can save you a lifetime of bills. Below are some maintenance tips homeowners can use to save energy and cost.

When you understand how water pump works, it becomes easier for you to take the proper measures. You can tell the advantages of power supply and the impact it has on the water pump installation cost. All your efforts must be towards preventing energy loss.

Efficient Pump Management

Proper maintenance of your pumps allows you to keep your facilities running efficiently. Regular maintenance can reveal any deterioration in capacity and efficiency which occurs before the pump fails. There are many different types of power supply. If you are in Australia and New Zealand you must have heard of DEUTZ DRIVE, a low fuel consumption engine that has been designed locally and specifically. The installation company must understand how water pump works beforehand.

Maintenance activities are classified as either being predictive or preventive. Preventive maintenance focuses on conventional system needs e.g. removal of contaminants, adjustment, and lubrication. Predictive addresses the tests and inspections that detect a looming problem.

In some places, this is called condition monitoring or assessment. With modern testing equipment and methods, testing has become a lot easier. With such measures, you can reduce costly unplanned outages. The kind of water pump engine you choose determines the amount of energy and cost you’ll save.

Choose Efficient Pump Type

The average pump efficiency is below forty percent. Over sizing comes in the design phase as the practice for adding multiple safety elements is common. It requires both the engineer and the pump manufacturer to work close cooperation in choosing the right water pump engine. On top of size, they must look at the power needs, speed, and drive type.

Proper Pump Size

Proper sizing of the pump reduces energy consumption. Remember that centrifugation pumps consumer up to sixty percent of motor energy and carries the highest process equipment maintenance cost. You can consider diesel water pumps to save on energy cost and consumption. Engineers add many safety elements in the designing phase making the pump oversized which only skyrockets the maintenance and energy cost. You can ask around for small diesel engines for sale and chose one that fits your interest.

Using Multiple Pumps

You will save more energy when you allow multiple pumps to run as part of a parallel pumping system. Such systems work well when each pump run independently and not at the same time. Operating multiple pumps concurrently is okay as stipulated by the flow requirements that are unique to the application in use. From this, you can begin to appreciate the advantages of power supply that run efficiently.

Eliminating Unnecessary Uses

Many people overlook the impact of reducing unnecessary energy consumption. Pumping facility efficiency measures involve using pressure switches, closing down pumps that are not in use, or even using diesel water pumps. All pumping units are unique; meaning more opportunities to save energy. Again, to help you accomplish this consider choosing from the many small diesel engines for sale.

When you install a proper power supply, it will keep your system safe even where you suffer a blackout. Nonetheless, everything begins by hiring an experienced professional with an understanding of how water pump works.

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Eco Friendly Office Cleaning

Sarah Jones — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 10:52:00 +0000

When it comes to modern offices, people are going green. Commercial cleaning services are looking for better alternatives to harsh solutions and many restrooms are switching away from antibacterial soaps.

Whether you’re looking to reduce your office cleaning to hot soap and water, or go even a step beyond that, you’ve come to the right place. It’s important to keep your workplace clean, but it’s also important to think of the effects of the methods employed to do so.

All Natural Cleaning Solutions

There was a time when bleach was extremely popular. It’s great for killing germs, but it’s also bad for your skin and just about everything else.

For this reason, using vinegar and water is a better alternative for office cleaning. In fact, there are many commercial cleaning businesses opting toward such choices for the benefit of their clients and themselves.

Employ Counteractive Green Energy Solutions

Regardless of how hard we try, we will be burning energy in order to clean. Hot water requires fuel as does the use of a vacuum cleaner. To counteract the environmental effects, companies can engage in unique green alternatives.

One example is that of Kleer-Fax, Inc., a factory in New York that has become certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a organization that ensures consumers that their paper products are ethically sourced.

Other companies are partnering with businesses like SunRay Power Management, a green energy company that rents people’s roofs and outfits them with solar technology. The building uses much less raw energy, the company makes additional revenue from the rent, and SunRay makes money by putting power back into the grid.

By implementing the unique certification of the FSC and/or SunRay’s profitable energy alternative, businesses can go beyond green cleaning and reverse the effects of any power being used.

Waste not, Want not

Lastly, it is important to consider that in cleaning there is a lot of waste. Businesses can do well to use less paper towels by using washable cloths for dusting and cleaning. They can also use more efficient HEPA filter vacuum bags to prevent dust from spreading, reducing the amount of cleaning needed.

Eco friendly cleaning can improve the quality of an office’s atmosphere, but it can also complement a company’s reputation, as seen with Kleer-Fax’s FSC certification, as well as its bottom line, such as when they rent their roof toSunRay Power Management.

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Control Water Waste with Xeriscaping

Sarah Jones — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 02:25:17 +0000

According to the EPA, “as much as 50 percent of the water we use outdoors is wasted from inefficient watering methods and systems.” Fortunately, many homeowners are modifying their landscape techniques to reverse this trend. This type of water conscious landscaping is referred to as Xeriscaping. If you’re ready to venture into Xeriscaping, here are a few steps you can take to start saving water today.

Plant Selection
When possible, select native or drought tolerate plants for your yard. Native plants will thrive in your climate and require far less maintenance than non-native selections. If you decide to plant some of the more water guzzling varieties, group plants with similar water needs together. It’s also important to note that grass often requires more water than other landscaping choices. Depending on how you will use the area, other options such as ground covers, shrubs, patios or gravel, may be more viable.

Terrain
The slope or grade of your lawn should be considered when landscaping. Steep slopes lead to water runoff and waste. Ground cover plants are an excellent way to limit this waste. These plants grow low to the ground and spread by themselves, which also makes them perfect for slopes that are too steep for planting and mowing. Alternatively, terracing slopes will also slow runoff and allow more water to seep into the soil.

Trees
Trees do more than add beauty, they also provide much needed shade to otherwise severely exposed areas. It’s advisable to plant at least one tree in your yard, especially in areas with south and west exposure. The shade cast by the tree cools the soil in these areas and decreases evaporation. To properly water a transplant, create a donut shaped berm, as wide as the branches, around the tree with soil and mulch. Fill this area with water and let it slowly sink into the soil.

Mulching
Mulching reduces water waste by decreasing the soil temperature and protecting against wind exposure. Over time, organic mulches, such as straw, compost, wood chips and bark, are broken down and become part of the soil. This added organic content improves the aeration and water holding capacity of the soil. Though organic mulch provides rich components for the soil, inorganic mulch can be used if soil quality is not a concern. Woven fabric and fiber mats are preferable to plastic films. While both control weeds, fabrics and mats also allow the exchange of water and air needed by plant roots.

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