Review: Water-Conserving Showerheads

8 showerheads that combine performance and conservation.

With the release of WaterSense for showers, bathers can conserve without sacrificing performance.

By:

Evelyn Royer

Launch Slideshow

Water-Saving Showerheads

Product Review: Water-Conserving Showerheads

8 showerheads that combine performance and conservation.

Play Slideshow >>

Water-Saving Showerheads

8 showerheads that combine performance and conservation.

• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/American-Standard_1_tcm14-608909.jpg
  600
  American Standard. The water-conserving FloWise showerhead line now includes a handshower that flows at 1.5 gpm in single-function and three-function models. The bather can set the three-function version to turbine spray, a 2.0-gpm full spray, or a combination of the two, and it includes an auto-return feature that re-sets the showerhead to the lowest flow function when the shower is turned off, says the firm. The showerhead comes in polished chrome, blackened bronze, polished brass, stainless steel, and satin nickel. 800.442.1902. www.americanstandard-us.com.
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Delta_tcm14-608838.jpg
  600
  Delta. Designed to imitate the scallops of a seashell, the Addison Raincan showerhead is WaterSense-certified and flows at rates of 1.5 gpm and 2.0 gpm. The showerhead features H2Okinetic technology, which forms larger droplets for more coverage, the firm says. The showerhead has a 6-inch face and comes in four finishes. 800.345.3358. www.deltafaucet.com.
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Jaclo_1_tcm14-608882.jpg
  600
  Jaclo. Pending WaterSense certification, the Leticia showerhead uses a flow regulator to maintain a constant flow rate over fluctuations in the supply pressure, says the company. The showerhead has a 3-inch face, a brass body, a swivel ball joint, and an easy-grip rubber ring for adjusting between five spray patterns: full rain, power rain, power spray, massage, and full rain massage. It comes in more than 20 finishes. 800.852.3906. www.jaclo.com.
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Kohler_2_tcm14-608837.jpg
  600
  Kohler. The Purist oversized showerhead flows at 1.75 gpm and meets WaterSense specifications, the firm says. The showerhead has three spray options—wide, focused, and concentrated utility spray—and it includes a pressure-balancing valve for anti-scald protection and temperature regulation. The showerhead is also available as a handshower. 800.456.4537. www.kohler.com.
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/tmp2A7C%2Etmp_tcm14-608907.jpg
  600
  Moen. The Envi Eco-Performance rainshower has a flow rate of 2.0 gpm and carries the WaterSense label. The 8-inch-diameter showerhead uses self-pressurizing technology to maximize spray power. It comes in chrome or brushed nickel finishes. The company has 16 other WaterSense-certified showerheads, including wall-mount, rainshower, and handshower models. 800.289.6636. www.moen.com
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Niagara-Conservation_1_tcm14-608935.jpg
  600
  Niagara Conservation. The WaterSense-certified Earth Massage showerhead flows at rates of 1.25, 1.5, and 2.0 gpm with a pressure compensator to keep the rate from fluctuating. The showerhead has nine jet options and comes in three styles: a wall-mount, a handheld with a 72-inch hose, and the Earth Soap & Soak, which includes a pause valve to stop the water while lathering. The showerhead is available in white or chrome finishes. 800.831.8383. www.niagaraconservation.com
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Price%20Pfister_2_tcm14-608883.jpg
  398
  Price Pfister. The 1.5-gpm Eco-Pfriendly showerhead with Air Infusion Technology, which infuses air in the water droplets to amplify pressure, is WaterSense certified. It is available in a chrome finish. 800.422.4278. www.pricepfister.com.
• 
  http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/Images/Toto_tcm14-608910.jpg
  600
  Toto. The Lloyd high-efficiency showerhead has a maximum flow rate of 1.75 gpm and a rubber nozzle to prevent lime scale and calcium buildup, says the company. WaterSense pending, the showerhead is available with a Shape Memory Alloy mixing valve to regulate temperature changes with a coil made of nickel and titanium alloy. The showerhead comes in a variety of finishes. 888.295.8134. www.totousa.com.

1 of 1

Save/Share

Get the link to this image:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Rinsing under dismal dribbles and lukewarm mists can leave bathers with persistent soap lather and a bad impression of low-flow technology. The EPA's WaterSense program seeks to rectify this problem—whether real or perceived—with its new label for showerheads, which requires units to deliver a satisfactory deluge while remaining well below the federal water restriction.
Thirty gallons of water disappear down the shower drain every day in the average household, according to the EPA, which is why the group added showerheads to its labeling program in early March. As with existing WaterSense standards for faucets and toilets, qualified showerheads not only must not exceed a maximum flow rate (2 gallons per minute, 0.5 gpm below the federal standard), but also must meet user-satisfactory pressure and coverage requirements.
"What we don't want to do is take a 2.5-gpm showerhead and put a flow restrictor in there and have it flow at 2.0 or 1.75 gpm and feel different or weak," says Mike Reffner, group product manager at Moen.
Simply choking down a showerhead can leave a weak spray or chilly dead spots; alternatively, blasting the water through smaller spray formers to increase the intensity creates a stinging sensation that is far from satisfying.
In consumer test reports, the EPA found bathers did not enjoy showerheads that spat water from a single, central jet, nor did they like a ring of drenching rain with an empty spot in the middle, so in order to earn a WaterSense label, the showerhead must pass the spray pattern criteria to ensure complete, even coverage. The standard also evaluates pressure compensation (i.e., how well the water flows at different pressures) and spray intensity (how effective the flow is for rinsing soap and shampoo). In addition, WaterSense set the maximum pressure at 80 psi to avoid needle-like sprays.
Makers have taken up the challenge, engineering larger droplets, experimenting with air induction and vacuum technology, or arranging the spray pattern in new ways, all to earn a low-flow label without the low-flow feel.
"A 1.5-gpm feels like a 2.5-gpm because the spray pattern oscillates and feels like it's enveloping you in a lot of water," says Delta representative Christiana Brenner of that manufacturer's new H2Okinetic technology, "but it's because the water droplets are slightly larger and coming at you from many different places."
"We have spent time and engineering resources to come up with solutions," says Moen's Reffner. "If you don't incorporate that kind of thinking into the product ... the efficiency is lost and instead of spending 10 minutes in the shower, you have to spend more time to rinse the shampoo out of your hair. So who wants to be frustrated by more time and really not saving anything?"
Using the mathematic Phi ratio found in organic designs such as plants, animals, and even galaxies, Moen's Biomimicry designs use nature's calculations to fit as many spray formers on the surface of the showerhead as possible for complete spray coverage.
Like traditional showerheads, WaterSense-certified units vary widely in price, from affordable to high-end. "People really don't want to spend a lot more if anything on [these] products. They want to be green, but they don't want to be told, 'Well, you have to pay X number of dollars more to save water,'" Reffner says.
The EPA says a $30 WaterSense showerhead will ideally pay for itself in roughly 14 months via water and energy savings.
And along with reengineering the products, manufacturers also are working to reverse consumer perceptions about water-conserving fixtures. "We like to call them 'high efficiency' because when people hear 'low flow,' they get a little scared and they think they're going to lose their water pressure," says Cecilia Hayward, marketing manager for Niagara Conservation. "The main challenge is educating people that low flow doesn't mean you're losing pressure; it just means you're saving water."
Evelyn Royer is assistant editor

If you are interested in Green Building on an Investment Property Check out the Benton Gut Rehab Blog Series-Benton Gut Rehab Green Blog Series

Part 1: History

Part 2: Stone Foundation Repair

Part 3: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 1

Part 4: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 2

Part 5: What were they thinking?

Part 6: Paint Pro Tip #35

Part 7: Repairing Water Damage-Exterior Wall

Part 8: 1st Floor Weatherization

Part 9: See the Difference a Little White Paint Makes

Part 10: Interior Framing-Plumbing-Laundry Room

Part 11: Kitchen Framing Tip #36-Benton Rehab Project

Part 12: Water Main Repair- Benton Rehab

Part 13: Benton Rehab Project Drywall Installation and Tip: Number 1172

--

Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com

Ecosystems: Understanding Our Place

 When I read this article the Education from growing up on a Cattle Ranch in North Missouri and taking care of the Land was re-enforced- Specifically how taking care of the Soil (Earth) in the Fields directly affected the Yield from the Crops and Forage we raised for Livestock Production.  

Forage / Plants utilize the upper crust of the Earth (top 12 inches) of the Planet. This area needs to have optimum nutrients for sustained plant growth. Without optimum nutrients in the soil, vegetation fails to produce the Forage / Plant Matter which is needed for the Livestock to survive.

1. When a Forage Crop is grown the Plants utilizes the Soils Nutrients to grow.
2. The Forage Produced transforms these nutrients from the Soil into, Forage / Plant matter, which is then harvested, stored or fed to the Livestock.

The Nutrients in the Soil that were transferred inside the Plant / Forage, into beneficial attributes that supports the Livestock. (The Livestock perform best when the Plants / Forage have optimum nutrients.) Without the Nutrients in the Earth plants fail to grow and thus livestock fails to produce the needed meat we eat to survive.

This is just a small example on how the smallest minute nutrients located in our Earth's Crust is transformed into actual living products that we use every day in our Lives.

"everyone in the world depends completely on Earth's ecosystems and the services they provide, such as food, water, disease management, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment, and aesthetic enjoyment."

 Ecosystems: Understanding Our Place in the World

Snippets from: http://www.remodeling.hw.net/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=manschelblog&PostId=98448

by: Michael Anschel

 Ecosystem services are arranged in four service or use categories: regulating (erosion control, gas exchange), providing (genetic diversity, pollination), provisioning (agriculture, mining), and informing (recreational, social). Much of human activity consists of taking a resource or service and, through human activity, creating a useful product for human use. When we act upon an ecosystem resource, whether it is mining, hunting, farming, weaving, or building, we add value and create a marketable product. We do this with little to no accounting as to the costs of our action to the ecosystem because historically we have held the idea that most resources are more or less infinite.  More importantly, when one resource runs out, through human activity (technological advances) we typically replace the deleted resource with another one. Human activities that alter the ecosystem are thought of as an externality; an unaccountable price of living. Hidden within that statement is the assumption that our human actions can never overwhelm the environment that surrounds and supports human activities and human life. 


According to a 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, put out by the World Resources Institute, everyone in the world depends completely on Earth's ecosystems and the services they provide, such as food, water, disease management, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment, and aesthetic enjoyment. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed these ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and fuel. This transformation of the planet has contributed to substantial net gains in human well-being and economic development. But not all regions and groups of people have benefited from this process—in fact, many have been harmed. Moreover, the full costs associated with these gains are only now becoming apparent."
Read the Full Article here: http://www.remodeling.hw.net/blogs/postdetails.aspx?BlogId=manschelblog&PostId=98448






--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com/
scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

Scotts Contracting Election Poll Results- Issues

Here are the Official Results from the Poll created by Scotts Contracting on what issues that were the most Important to You and Your Family in the Nov 2, Election.

Q:2010 Election-What issues are most important to you and your family in the up-coming Election? [Chose 3 Issues]

 

 

Health Insurance 21.74% (20 votes)

Government Spending 18.48% (17 votes)

Jobs / Employment 18.48% (17 votes)

Republican 10.87% (10 votes)

Tea Party 8.7% (8 votes)

Democrat 5.43% (5 votes)

Green Legislation / Energy / Oil 3.26% (3 votes)

Lobbyist Activities 3.26% (3 votes)

Other: 3.26% (3 votes)

Independant 1.09% (1 votes)

Total Votes: 92

Return To Poll

--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

Scotts Contracting, Updated Training Certificate-Master Insulation Certificate

Home Repair and Green Building Services-Scotty, Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis 'Renewable Energy' Missouri- Find Us at: http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/, http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com,
scottscontracting.wordpress.com;
contact  scottscontracting@gmail.com for additional information or to Schedule a 'Green Site Evaluation'--

Scotts Contracting Certainteed Insulation Certificate

POLITICO’s Morning Energy, presented by America’s Natural Gas Alliance: Stearns not ceding energy gavel to Upton – Bill, Sarah, Rudy flood West Virginia – A Reid loss is nuclear's gain – Prop 23 appears headed for defeat

Build Green, Scotty View Scotts Contractings, Green and Eco Friendly Web Sites http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com --- On Mon, 11/1/10, Morning Energy <morningenergy@politico.com> wrote: From: Morning Energy <morningenergy@politico.com> Subject: POLITICO's Morning Energy, presented by America's Natural Gas Alliance: Stearns not ceding energy gavel to Upton – Bill, Sarah, Rudy flood West Virginia – A Reid loss is nuclear's gain – Prop 23 appears headed for defeat Date: Monday, November 1, 2010, 4:28 AM POLITICO's Morning Energy By Josh Voorhees ENTER CLIFF STEARNS - Fred Upton is widely seen as the odds-on favorite to lead the Energy and Commerce panel next year, but that doesn't mean his competition is going to sit idly by and make way for a coronation. The panel's current ranking member, Joe Barton, has refused to give up the ghost on his long-shot quest to pick up the gavel. And now, Cliff Stearns is hyping his own conservative credentials in a bid to lead the powerful panel. POLITICO's Tony Romm has the details on Stearns. http://politi.co/dnLnFV CONSERVATIVE CRED - In an interview, Stearns touted his favorability ratings among such groups as the American Conservative Union and the National Taxpayers Union. "I believe that the leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee should have a proven conservative record on the issues across the board," the Florida Republican said. Both groups have awarded slightly lower ratings to Upton, whose relatively moderate reputation is a potential stumbling block in his effort to secure the energy chairmanship. The Michigan lawmaker, however, has scrambled in recent weeks to cement his reputation as a small-government conservative. THE QUIET CAMPAIGN - With the exception of Barton's public push for the waiver he'd need to stay atop the energy panel, the battle for the chairmanship has played out mostly behind the scenes. Upton, for one, maintains that he is not actively angling for the position. Still, both he and Stearns have contributed heavily to the campaigns of their fellow Republicans this election season - with Upton outspending the Florida lawmaker by a nearly 5-to-2 margin ($160K to $66K, according to OpenSecrets). A 'FRESH' AGENDA - Stearns declined to ID any areas where he has found common ground with Democrats on energy. "I don't see anything in the Senate, and I don't think anything in the administration," he said of possible areas of compromise, while hammering House Ds for passing their cap-and-trade bill in 2009. "Republicans in the majority have to start an agenda which is innovative and cost-cautious and safe, but in a sort of new direction. If I had the opportunity, it'd be a fresh new approach." ENERGY, NOT CLIMATE - "I think all of us realize we've got to control C02 and that we have various ways to do it. ... My position has been anything we can do to control and regulate is good, but do it through the private sector," Stearns said. "The energy policy I'm talking about isn't on global warming; it's making us self sufficient." Happy Monday and welcome to Morning Energy, where we're hoping your sugar hangover isn't nearly as bad as ours. Send tips, comments and election predictions to Josh Voorhees at jvoorhees@politico.com BIG NAMES FLOCK TO THE MOUNTAIN STATE - Bill Clinton returns to West Virginia today to give a last-second push to Senate hopeful Joe Manchin and, to a lesser extent, House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall. "He can whip a crowd into a movement in minutes," Rahall said in a statement. "He's always been a friend we can count on." The campaign event kicks off at 2:45 p.m. in Beckley. http://bit.ly/aSPMtc Sarah Palin was in town over the weekend to stump for John Raese, Manchin's GOP opponent. She told an energetic Saturday afternoon crowd that she thought Manchin was a "nice guy," but that he would be "a rubber stamp" for the president and should instead stick to his current gig as the state's governor. http://politi.co/bY7UVj NOT ALONE - The former Alaska governor was the latest in a string of GOP heavyweights to lend their voices to Raese's campaign. Mitch McConnell, John McCain and EPW ranking member James Inhofe have all stumped for the Senate hopeful in the past week or so. Up today: Rudy Giuliani. Charleston MetroNews: http://bit.ly/cK0reW LATEST NUMBERS - Democrats are growing more confident that Manchin will pull out the victory - and the polls appear to agree with them. All but one gave Manchin the edge over Raese in the last two weeks. The latest: Manchin 49, Raese 46 (Rasmussen Oct. 26) **A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: When used for power generation, natural gas is twice as clean as coal when it comes to carbon emissions. It has 80% fewer NOx emissions and virtually no sulfur dioxide, particulate matter or mercury. http://bit.ly/d652Uo ** READING THE NEVADA TEA LEAVES - The Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston weighed in with his prediction Sunday morning on the Reid-Angle race. He admitted there's a palpable "passion gap," but argued that while people aren't excited about Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader has a history of defying the odds. The reason this race is still competitive: "Republicans managed to nominate the one person this year who could lose to Reid." http://bit.ly/b9W1WM Latest Poll: Angle 49, Reid 45 (Mason-Dixon/LVRJ Oct. 25-Oct. 27) WSJ reports this morning on the eleventh-hour push from both sides. http://bit.ly/bGgeGE YUCCA MOUNTAIN - POLITICO's Robin Bravender reports that a Reid loss would likely give new life to the project, which would be welcome news to the nuclear industry and pro-nuclear lawmakers who see the lack of a long-term repository as a roadblock for a U.S. nuclear renaissance. http://politi.co/dtgRrZ "Nuclear power has become a central tenet of congressional Republican's energy agenda; senators like John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Lamar Alexander say expanding the power source will help to cut dependence on foreign oil and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Democrats and the Obama administration have shown a willingness to compromise on the issue, and nuclear is posed to be a focal point of energy talks next year on Capitol Hill if Republicans make major electoral gains." GREEN JOBS - An Angle victory may do wonders for the nuclear industry but it appears as though it wouldn't do any favors for the renewable energy sector. The Sun reported yesterday that "in the last days of her campaign, her established disdain appears to have morphed into a call to dismantle the green jobs industry, one of Nevada's few - and probably best - hopes of climbing out of the recession." http://bit.ly/9pbvu6 PROP 23 TRAILS - The latest Field Poll released yesterday found about half of likely voters (48 percent) against the initiative that would effectively kill California's main global warming law, while 33 percent said they were in favor of it. Big partisan and ideological differences in the survey's results, too. Democrats oppose Prop 23 nearly four to one (61 percent to 17 percent) while Republicans back it 51 percent to 31 percent. People who identified themselves with the tea party movement favored Prop 23 by a 61 to 28 margin. http://bit.ly/a5dPqp LEFT FOR DEAD (OR NOT) MILLER PUSHES ON - Joe Miller yesterday brushed aside a report that the Republican establishment was abandoning him in the closing days of Alaska's quirky three-way Senate race. "It really doesn't matter; it's the Alaskan people who are voting. The outside groups that are coming in trying to influence the race, they aren't going to be able to trump the Alaskan spirit and the Alaskan voters. I'm not worried about it even if it is true," Miller told POLITICO's David Catanese. http://politi.co/aW1IDK Citing a "high-level" GOP source, ABC News reported earlier in the day that Republican leaders have essentially given up on Miller and are now banking on a write-in victory by ENR ranking member Lisa Murkowski. (Republican leaders quickly denied the report.) Regardless, Miller may not be down and out yet: Public Policy Polling teased its upcoming survey on Twitter last night: "Our polling would suggest rumors of Joe Miller's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Close race, he's definitely still in it." Latest: Murkowski 37, Miller 27, McAdams 23 (Dittman Research, Oct. 23-Oct. 28) NYT reports this morning that the wrinkles of a write-in campaign in an Alaskan election could mean it takes weeks before anyone knows whether Murkowski pulled off a 'political miracle.' http://nyti.ms/duWMeK PLEADING 'IGNORANT' - Senate hopeful Mark Kirk is taking a, uh, novel approach to defending his 2009 vote for Waxman-Markey. "It's out of ignorance and lack of understanding of how a $14 trillion economy operates," the Illinois Republican said last week. "As I traveled Illinois, I quickly saw the kind of damage that legislation would cause industries that were not heavily present in my congressional district: heavy manufacturing, agriculture, mining. I had to make a choice between higher employment in my state or sticking with the old vote." Chicago Trib: http://bit.ly/dcqzJD AROUND THE HORN - POLITICO's Jessica Taylor, Alex Isenstadt and the rest of the 2010 team have the latest updates on a few other big races of interest to ME readers. CALIFORNIA SENATE: EPW chairwoman Barbara Boxer is continuing to hammer home the message that Carly Fiorina's business skills aren't all she's making them out to be. Her closing ad features "Larry," who was laid off during Fiorina's tenure at Hewlett-Packard. "Carly Fiorina never cared about our jobs. Not then, and not now," says Larry. Latest Poll: Boxer 49, Fiorina 46 (Rasmussen Oct. 27) WASHINGTON SENATE: Patty Murray was in Vancouver yesterday for a rally while she and Republican Dino Rossi continued their critical get-out-the-vote efforts across the state. This close race looms as one of the contests with the potential to go into overtime. Latest poll: Murray 49, Rossi 48 (McClatchy/Marist Oct. 26-Oct. 28) VIRGINIA HOUSE (5): Rep. Tom Perriello was the subject of a Sunday love letter from the Washington Post's David Ignatius, who wrote that the freshman lawmaker was hanging on against GOP state Sen. Robert Hurt despite embracing much of the ambitious party agenda (including Waxman-Markey) and called him a "Democrat bucking the Republican wave." http://wapo.st/9sLeIi WELL, THIS IS AWKWARD - The Obama administration finds itself in an awkward position heading into the Cancun climate talks later this month. Juliet Eilperin reports in today's Washington Post that the U.S. delegation may find it difficult to continue to push "its enduring commitment to bold climate action" given recent events at home. http://wapo.st/9yqwmW AND FINALLY, DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH - EPA is unlikely to issue controversial smog standards prior to the election tomorrow. The agency planned to release the federal ozone limit on or around the end of October, but may be holding off in order to avoid giving Republicans last-minute campaign fodder. EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan said the agency is working hard to finalize the standard. "We will announce the final rule as soon as it is ready - this is an important and complex rulemaking and we're working to ensure we get it right," he said. ** A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: One solution for more abundant domestic energy is staring us in the face. Natural gas is the natural choice-now and in the future. We know we need to use cleaner, American energy. And, we have it. Today, the U.S. has more natural gas than Saudi Arabia has oil, giving us generations of this clean, domestic energy source. Natural gas supports 2.8 million American jobs, most states are now home to more than 10,000 natural gas jobs. As Congress and the Administration look for ways toward a cleaner tomorrow, the answer is right here: natural gas. Learn more at www.anga.us And, follow us on Twitter @angaus. ** Go to Morning Energy Now >> http://www.politico.com/morningenergy ================================= 2010 Capitol News Company, LLC Morning Energy. =================================

caulk and weather stripping go a long way in saving you money on winter heating bills

A little caulk and weather stripping go a long way in saving you money on winter heating bills

Nov 1, 2010Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)
Kathy Van Mullekom
Nov. 1, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --

Minor oversights around a house can add up to major drains on your pocketbook, especially when it comes to the little things that make utility bills skyrocket.

"Air sealing is the key to significant reduction because we lose 31 percent of the air from our homes through floors, walls and ceilings," says Jamison Brown of AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services in Poquoson.

For instance, a crack as small as 1/16 of an inch around a window frame can let in as much cold air as leaving the window open three inches, according to Virginia Natural Gas.

The solution: Caulk and weather strip around exterior doors and windows to help eliminate cold-air sources. New this year is temporary caulking you easily peel off in spring.

Older homes can allow air from the crawl space to enter the living space if the gap between the floor and the bottom of the walls has not been sealed, something that's typically done in new home construction, according to Robert Criner of Criner Remodeling in York County. If you have light-colored carpet that's tinged darker around the outer edges, you know you have that kind of leak.

The solution: When you replace the carpet, run a bead of caulking along that gap before installing new carpet; if the carpeting is still good, pull up the trim and carpet edge, run the caulking, put the carpet back and replace the trim board.

Even electrical outlets allow cold air to enter your warm rooms. The next time the wind blows or cold air rolls into town put your hand over an electrical outlet on an exterior wall and you may be surprised at what you feel.

The solution: There are precut insulation pads you can buy at hardware and home stores to put in those outlets.

What's under or over your living space also impacts your energy bill, items like ductwork. Supply ductwork from your furnace can leak heated air into the attic or crawl space, and outside air can be drawn into the return ductwork, increasing costs and reducing your comfort, according to Dominion (NYSE:D) Power.

The solution: Inspect ductwork to make sure it's sealed at joints and intersections with foil-backed tape or silicone caulking. You also want to make sure ductwork is not kinked.

Many people, especially empty-nesters, also live in large houses where some rooms are not used. Why heat rooms you don't use?

The solution: During winter, close the registers in the room and use a foam "twin draft guard" under the door, like the $9.95 versions you see advertised on TV or in home stores. "They are cheap and they work," says Criner.

Rebates and assistance

To help households improve their energy efficiency, Virginia Natural Gas offers free programmable thermostats and a $50 rebate on a seasonal service to keep heating equipment running at peak performance. You can also get rebates of $150 on a high-efficiency tank water heater, $500 on a tankless water heater and $500 on a 90 percent or higher efficiency furnace.

Tax credits for energy-efficiency items like windows, roofs and insulation expire at the end of this year and must be installed by then, according to Criner.

Financially struggling households can apply for Energy Assistance programs through social services departments in cities and counties or online at http://www.dss.virginia.gov/benefit/ea/index.cgi

Save even more

Here are more winterizing and household energy-use tips from Jamison Brown and Michael Hatchett of Hatchett Design, Remodel and Repair in Newport News:

-- Caulk all exterior joints and gaps, including around dryer vents and joints in siding

-- Make sure door weather stripping seals when the door is closed.

-- Set your water heater to 120 Fahrenheit and install a water heater insulation blanket; read the label on the water heater to see if a blanket is suitable.

-- Install at least 6 feet of insulation on both the hot and cold water pipes attached to the water heater; caution should be used for gas water heaters with hot vent pipes.

-- Seal ceiling openings in the attic around electrical wires, plumbing pipes and bathroom or kitchen exhaust fan and associated piping.

-- Pull-down stairs need to be sealed or a tent placed over them in the attic to prevent air leakage and energy loss. You can build or buy one. Also, attic access scuttles and doors need to be sealed and insulated.

-- Bathroom vents and dryer exhausts and fireplaces should have a damper to ensure warm air is not unintentionally leaking from the home when those appliances are not being used. Most new bathroom vents have a damper unit already installed in the fan.

-- Review attic insulation and install additional insulating to bring it to R-38 factor after you have sealed any air leaks and insulated any pipes in that area.

-- Build air-tight covers for all recessed ceiling lights that are visible in the attic to prevent air leaks; use caution to ensure a fire hazard is not created by the light boxes; http://www.ehow.com features a piece on insulating these fixtures.

-- Finally, set back the thermostat, or turn down the heat while you are away at work. It takes less energy to warm a cool home than to maintain a warm temperature all day long.

Online

-- See a "How to Caulk Windows for Dummies" video at http://www.dailypress.com/digginblog

-- Calculate your home's energy efficiency and find rebates, special offers and more conservation tips through Virginia Natural Gas at http://www.virginianaturalgas.com and Dominion Power at http://www.dom.com. Also, visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savers site at http://www.energysavers.gov

Newstex ID: KRTB-0140-50251388 

  

For Assistance in Lowering Your Energy Bills in St Louis

use the Contacting Information below, Scotty will

custom tailor an energy retrofit for your Property--

Scott's Contracting

scottscontracting@gmail.com

http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com

http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com

Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

 update to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

A HUGE CROWD FUNDED MACHINE IS ABOUT TO START CLEANING UP THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

What is the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A swirling sea of plastic bags, bottles and other debris is growing in the North Pacific, and now another one has been found in the Atlantic. But how did they get there? And is there anything we can do to clean them up?

By Russell McLendonWed, Feb 24 2010 

Scotts Contracting encourages everyone to Recycle, Re-Use, and Re-Build.  Scotts Contracting supports the Green Building Initiative, Build Green-Scotty

Not all garbage ends up at the dump. A river, sewer or beach can't catch everything the rain washes away, either. In fact, Earth's largest landfill isn't on land at all.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch stretches for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean, forming a nebulous, floating junk yard on the high seas. It's the poster child for a worldwide problem: plastic that begins in human hands yet ends up in the ocean, often inside animals' stomachs or around their necks. This marine debris has sloshed into the public spotlight recently, thanks to growing media coverage as well as scientists and explorers who are increasingly visiting the North Pacific to see plastic pollution in action.

What's it made of?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has sometimes been described as a "trash island," but that's a misconception, says Holly Bamford, director of NOAA's Marine Debris Program. If only things were that simple.

"We could just go out there and scoop up an island," Bamford says. "If it was one big mass, it would make our jobs a whole lot easier."

Instead, it's like a galaxy of garbage, populated by billions of smaller trash islands that may be hidden underwater or spread out over many miles. That can make it maddeningly difficult to study — Bamford says we still don't know how big the garbage patch is, despite the oft-cited claim that it's as big as Texas.

"You see these quotes that it's the size of Texas, then it's the size of France, and I even heard one description of it as a continent," she says. "That alone should lend some concern that there's not consistency in our idea of its size. It's these hot spots, not one big mass. Maybe if you added them all up it's the size of Texas, but we still don't know. It could be bigger than Texas."

 While there's still much we don't understand about the garbage patch, we do know that most of it's made of plastic. And that's where the problems begin.

Unlike most other trash, plastic isn't biodegradable — i.e., the microbes that break down other substances don't recognize plastic as food, leaving it to float there forever. Sunlight does eventually "photodegrade" the bonds in plastic polymers, reducing it to smaller and smaller pieces, but that just makes matters worse. The plastic still never goes away; it just becomes microscopic and may be eaten by tiny marine organisms, entering the food chain.

About 80 percent of debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from land, much of which is plastic bags, bottles and various other consumer products. Free-floating fishing nets make up another 10 percent of all marine litter, or about 705,000 tons, according to U.N. estimates. The rest comes largely from recreational boaters, offshore oil rigs and large cargo ships, which drop about 10,000 steel containers into the sea each year full of things like hockey pads, computer monitors, resin pellets and LEGO octopuses. But despite such diversity — and plenty of metal, glass and rubber in the garbage patch — the majority of material is still plastic, since most everything else sinks or biodegrades before it gets there.

How is it formed?

Earth has five or six major oceanic gyres — huge spirals of seawater formed by colliding currents — but one of the largest is the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, filling most of the space between Japan and California. The upper part of this gyre, a few hundred miles north of Hawaii, is where warm water from the South Pacific crashes into cooler water from the north. Known as the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, this is also where the trash collects.

Bamford refers to the convergence zone as a "trash superhighway" because it ferries plastic rubbish along an elongated, east-west corridor that links two spinning eddies known as the Eastern Garbage Patch and the Western Garbage Patch. The whole system collectively makes up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

It may take several years for debris to reach this area, depending where it's coming from. Plastic can be washed from the interiors of continents to the sea via sewers, streams and rivers, or it might simply wash away from the coast. Either way, it can be a six- or seven-year journey before it's spinning around in the garbage patch. On the other hand, fishing nets and steel containers are often dropped right in with the rest of the trash.

What's the problem?

Marine debris threatens environmental health in several ways. Here are the main ones:

• Entanglement: The growing number of abandoned plastic fishing nets is one of the greatest dangers from marine debris, Bamford says. The nets entangle seals, sea turtles and other animals in a phenomenon known as "ghost fishing," often drowning them. With more fishermen from developing countries now using plastic for its low cost and high durability, many abandoned nets can continue fishing on their own for months or years. One of the most controversial types are bottom-set gill nets, which are buoyed by floats and anchored to the sea floor, sometimes stretching for thousands of feet.

Virtually any marine life can be endangered by plastic, but sea turtles seem especially susceptible. In addition to being entangled by fishing nets, they often swallow plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish, their main prey. They can also get caught up in a variety of other objects, such as this snapping turtle that grew up constricted by a plastic ring around its body.

• Small surface debris: Plastic resin pellets are another common piece of marine debris; the tiny, industrial-use granules are shipped in bulk around the world, melted down at manufacturing sites and remolded into commercial plastics. Being so small and plentiful, they can easily get lost along the way, washing through the watershed with other plastics and into the sea. They tend to float there and eventually photodegrade, but that takes many years. In the meantime, they wreak havoc with sea birds such as the short-tailed albatross.

Albatross parents leave their chicks on land in Pacific islands to go scour the ocean surface for food, namely protein-rich fish eggs. These are small dots bobbing just below the surface, and look unfortunately similar to resin pellets. Well-meaning albatrosses scoop up these pellets — along with other floating trash such as cigarette lighters — and return to feed the indigestible plastic to their chicks, which eventually die of starvation or ruptured organs. Decaying albatross chicks are frequently found with stomachs full of plastic debris (see photo above).

• Photodegradation: As sunlight breaks down floating debris, the surface water thickens with suspended plastic bits. This is bad for a couple of reasons. First, Bamford says, is plastic's "inherent toxicity": It often contains colorants and chemicals like bisphenol-A, which studies have linked to various environmental and health problems, and these toxins may leach out into the seawater. Plastic has also been shown to absorb pre-existing organic pollutants like PCBs from the surrounding seawater, which can enter the food chain — along with BPA and other inherent toxins — if the plastic bits are accidentally ingested by marine life.

What can we do?

The discoverer of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Capt. Charles Moore, once said a cleanup effort "would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went."

"He makes a really good point there," Bamford says. "It's very difficult."

Still, NOAA conducts flyovers to study the garbage patch, and two research teams sailed there last summer to collect debris and water samples. Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography held a press conference after returning from their three-week voyage in August, describing the amount of trash as "shocking." They found large and small items as well as a vast underwater haze of photodegraded plastic flakes, and are now analyzing their samples to figure out how the plastic interacts with its marine environment.

Meanwhile, the international Project Kaisei team also spent last August in the garbage patch, studying its contents in hopes of eventually recycling them or turning them into fuel. And "adventure ecologist" David de Rothschild is pushing on with plans to sail around the garbage patch in a boat made entirely of recycled plastics, taking a test voyage earlier this month after a long delay due to construction trouble. Called "Plastiki," the ship is intended to highlight the connection between plastic trash on land and plastic trash at sea — an increasingly evident link, thanks not only to media attention for the Pacific patch, but also the recent discovery of a similar patch in the North Atlantic.

Ultimately, more plastic recycling and wider use of biodegradable materials is the best hope for controlling these garbage patches, Bamford says, but that's an uphill battle.

"We need to turn off the taps at the source. We need to educate people on the proper disposal of things that do not break up, like plastics," she says. "Opportunities for recycling have to increase, but, you know, some people buy three bottles of water a day. As a society, we have to get better at reusing what we buy."

Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original version, which first appeared June 9, 2009.

Photos courtesy NOAA

Build a Green America with American Made Renewable Energy Systems and Green Construction Materials-Green Products and Green Building Services.--
Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com