Lower energy utility bills. Living in an energy-efficient home can save you hundreds of dollars on utility bills every year. What are some ways to save energy? Insulate your attic and crawl spaces. Trade in old appliances for energy-efficient ones. Weather strip windows and doors. Keep your HVAC system in good working order.  Many states and utilities offer significant rebates to help lower the cost of these initial investments. Plus, you keep all the money you save when you lower your utility bills.

Spend less money on water. My water bill is consistently about half of what many of my neighbors pay. That’s because I’ve taken some key steps to use less water for bathing, clothes washing, dishes and cleaning, and even in my landscaping.

Over the years, I’ve also replaced my toilets so they only use 1.6 gallons per flush or less (older toilets may use 5 times that much). When I replaced my washing machine, I got a high efficiency top loading model, and I only wash clothes when I have a full load.

I do the same with my dishwasher, and only wash full loads. I installed a simple drip irrigation system in my yard so that water gets directly to my plants, rather than getting sprayed all over the yard.  I replaced the faucets in the showers and sinks with models that increase water pressure so a lot less water comes out of the faucet with no noticeable inconvenience.

Be healthier. Improving the indoor quality of your air is good for your health. Indoor air can actually be far more polluted than outdoor air because there’s less air circulation, and because people use cleansers and paints that contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Keep your HVAC filters clean.  Use only cleansers that are fragrance-free. And if you repaint, use paint that is free of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds.

Teach your children. When you raise kids to recycle, turn off the lights and electronics when they’re not in use, help you change the light bulbs, turn off the water when they brush their teeth, and share and swap rather than buy brand new, you help raise responsible kids who will help protect the planet as they get older.

Make more money when you sell your home. Homes that are well insulated to save energy, have water-saving appliances, and built with non-toxic paints and cleansers, garner more money when they’re sold. In fact, the statistics show that over 80% of homebuyers are willing to pay a premium to “go green.” You can often deduct the expenses you incurred in upgrading your house against the profit you make in selling it, too.

Protect wildlife. You can have your home certified as Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation if you maintain your landscape organically, plant trees and bushes, plant to attract birds, bees and butterflies, and add other natural gardening features.

Stop climate change. Climate change is the most critical issue we face when it comes to protecting life on earth as we know it. When you maintain your home to save energy, you’re doing your part to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that help cause global warming, and related natural disasters, like extreme weather events, drought, fire, hurricanes and superstorms.

Why do you value living greener? Please share!

The post The 7 BEST Benefits of a Green Home appeared first on Big Green Purse.

It’s time to treat your toilet like the special secret water-saving weapon it is!

Throughout the month of April, which is officially “Earth Month,” and leading up to Earth Day, we’re going to be featuring companies that are doing an extraordinary job to help protect the planet by being more environmentally responsible themselves.

Mansfield Plumbing is one of those companies. The Perrysville, Ohio business is a leader in manufacturing highly water-efficient toilets, one of your home’s secret weapons when it comes to saving water. The company is setting a great example on how to run a sustainable business, too. It recycles millions of pounds of waste plaster, paper and wood each year and is reducing the amount of water its manufacturing facility uses by between 10 and 30 percent. In fact, about 10,000 tons of its scrap material is actually being recycled into the aggregate that paves the roads leading up to landfills!

 Here’s more about the water saving toilet products the company makes and why you should select your next toilet from Mansfield Plumbing.

Why Do You Need a Water Saving Toilet?

America is running out of water. Droughts related to climate change are taking a big toll. But so is factory farming, and industrial oil and gas operations, like “fracking,” which consume enormous quantities of water that ends up polluted and unusable for generations.

As water becomes more scarce, it gets more expensive. It also becomes more important to use the water we have wisely. In our homes, one of the biggest ways we waste water is by flushing the toilet.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t flush! Of course we have to!!

But do we need to use so much water when we flush? Not by a long shot.

That’s why a high-efficiency toilet is your secret weapon when it comes to saving water.

Every time a toilet is flushed, water is used to remove the waste from the bowl.

But how much water a toilet uses is the issue. Many “old fashioned” and out-of-date toilets may still use as much as 6 gallons of water per flush. That might have been fine before so many areas of the country faced drought. But in this day and age, we just can’t afford to use that much water to dispose of our body waste.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created its WaterSense program to encourage companies to manufacture and sell water saving toilets (and other water appliances and fixtures) that get the job done using far less water than common toilets.

“WaterSense has estimated that if all old, inefficient toilets in the United States were replaced with WaterSense labeled models, we could save 520 billion gallons of water each year,” says Adriana Miller, product manager for Mansfield Plumbing.

“That’s roughly the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in about 12 days.

 “This change to low-flow toilets is something that every homeowner can do right now to help save water and celebrate Earth Day every day throughout the year.”

WaterSense-rated toilets use just 1.28 gallons per flush (GpF) or less.

“These high efficiency toilets (HETs) save water in the home, which can help our environment, and reduce yearly water bills for consumers. It’s a win-win situation,” says Mansfield’s Miller.

And here’s another benefit:

Water saving toilets earning the WaterSense label — like many offered by Mansfield Plumbing — have been certified to be at least 20 percent more efficient without sacrificing performance.

If you’re wondering just how much water and money you’d save by switching to a WaterSense model, Miller recommends homeowners visit the Water Savings Calculator at the Mansfield Plumbing website to determine just how much water and money a family can save by investing in a WaterSense-rated toilet with a powerful flushing system.

HOW MUCH WATER CAN YOU SAVE?

⇒ A  family of four can potentially save 16,206 gallons of water each year (with an average five flushes a day per person) when installing a 1.28 Gpf toilet over a 3.5 Gpf toilet.

⇒ That equates to about $81 in savings each year.

⇒ When installing a 1.0 Maverick or Quantum toilet, the figures drop even further, to saving 18,250 gallons of water yearly or about $91 in water bills.

“For many areas of the country, it’s not about the cost savings, but about the fact that there simply isn’t enough water availability,” says Miller.

“Taking the step to invest in HETs makes good sense for communities, the environment and for homeowners.”

I took my own advice and bought a WaterSense toilet. (That’s it on the left.)

Miller points out that several states (including California and Texas) mandate the use of WaterSense-rated HETs for all new residential and commercial construction.

But whether your community requires WaterSense toilets or not, why not make the switch?

Otherwise, you’ll keep flushing unnecessary water – and money – down the drain.

Related Posts:

Ten Ways to Save Water Outside and Cut Your Water Bill by 50%
10 No-Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely. Plus, a Bonus… 
Water. Use it Wisely.

The post Are You Using Your Secret Weapon to Save Water? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

1) Give up bottled water. How many reasons do you need? Toxic plastic is used to contain bottled water. Bottled water generates mountains of trash. Making bottled water and moving it around the globe wastes enormous amounts of energy. Bottled water may not be as safe to drink as tap water.  Here’s the real kicker: bottling water wastes water. Two gallons of water are wasted for every gallon bottled. Stupid, no?

2) Give up the idea that you have to drink water all the time. Where did that notion come from, that somehow, your outfit isn’t complete without a bottle of water by your side? I’ve gotten along just fine drinking from drinking fountains and — believe it or not — going for a couple of hours at a time without drinking water. Try it. You won’t die.

3) Filter your water at home. If you’re concerned about water quality, put a filter on your tap and keep water in your refrigerator or in a closed carafe on your kitchen counter or desk top. You can also buy reusable water bottles that come with their own filter. Cheap, good, and trash-free.

4) Take shorter showers. Get in. Soap up. Get out. I bet you can do it in five minutes; ten, max.

5) Use low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators. They’ll increase the pressure coming out of the tap so you won’t notice you’re actually using a lot less water. Get ’em at your local hardware store. Simple, yes?

6) Get a new toilet.

I recently replaced mine with one that’s Water Sense certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (you can see the water sense logo on my toilet tank if you look closely!); if I’d had time to wait a week for a special delivery, I could have gotten a dual-flush toilet that’s even more water-efficient. I loved this water-saving toilet I saw in Australia.

7) Replace your lawn. Grass is weird; in fact, it’s not even natural – really, where in Nature does a monoculture (i.e., just one plant) grow completely weed-free? Nowhere. Give it up in favor of other groundcovers that use a lot less water and require far less maintenance.

8) Stop the leaks. Inside or outside, faucets drip if they’re not tightened properly.  If tightening a faucet doesn’t stop the drip, you’ll probably have to remove the knob and replace an old washer. If I can do it, you can.

9) Wash full loads. This goes for the dishwasher as well as the clothes washer. If you’re going to use all that water, make it wash as much as the machine can hold. And by the way, washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than doing them in the dishwasher. You don’t need to rinse in advance – just wipe off the grime with a damp sponge or cloth.

10) Turn the water off. Duhhh…Why people still let faucets run when they’re brushing their teeth is beyond me. You don’t need to let the shower run for ten minutes before you get in, either. And you don’t need to let the kitchen tap run while you’re just clearing the table or off talking on the phone. If you like the sound of running water, get a small fountain that will circulate the same water over and over. Otherwise, just let it be.

Bonus: Buy less, and buy used. Manufacturing uses an enormous amount of water. H2O is used to grow crops, process materials, mine minerals, and clean finished products. Every time you buy something, you’re buying the water used to make that thing. Every time you throw something away, you’re throwing our the water used to make it, as well. Buy less, and buy used. You’ll save money, and save water, too.

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