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With the introduction of the new home renovation tax credit in the recent budget proposal you may be able to qualify for rebates when undertaking green renovation projects.  The HRTC is proposed to be valid on project undertaken after Jan 27, 2009 and before Feb 1, 2010 so there is only one year to take advantage of this credit.  The budget has not yet been fully approved and some details are still pending but based on information currently released the new Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) can translate to a tax savings of $150 for every $1000 spent on renovations to your home.

According to those we have spoken to in Ottawa the HRTC credit is applied above and beyond any already existing credits available through the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program offered by NRCAN.    

Below is a quick snapshot from the budget website (http://www.budget.gc.ca/) outlining the details of the HRTC.  To keep on top of the HRTC details visit the site often as new information and links will be updated regularly. 

Overview 

We all know the statistics surrounding water usage in the home.  If you are not familiar with them take a look at the pie chart below which outlines water usage in the home by end use. 

Environment Canada has gone to great lengths to evaluate and determine these average water usage statistics.  Not to dispute these numbers but there will always be those who want to see some practical numbers to confirm the data.  So let's take a look at a real application here in Cambridge, Ontario. The greywater system installed in our home was installed March 18, 2008 and went online that evening.  So, how has it affected our water consumption so far?  We'll, let's take a look and do some analysis of the data so far to see how it's performing.

The Data 

Below are the usage numbers from our water bills for the past 24 months for easy comparison.  Billing is based on a 2 month period.  The table below shows the Total Consumption in cubic meters for each billing period starting from July 28, 2006 until July 30, 2008.  The table also shows the Average Daily usage based on the number of days per period.

Period

Efficient use of water can play a significant role in benefiting the environment, public health, and economics by helping to improve water quality, protect drinking water resources, maintain aquatic ecosystems, and ensure water supply for the future and today. By using water more efficiently we can also help mitigate the effects of drought and water shortages which are occurring more and more frequently around the world and in many parts of North America. Being water efficient is not only good for the environment but can also save you money on you water and energy bills.  Below you will find some tips to help you be more water efficient.

Indoor Tips - The Bathroom — over 65% of household water is used here:

• Install a low flow shower head and save about 50-60% of the water you use to shower.
• Install low flow aerators on all your taps.
• Don't let the water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.
• Take showers instead of baths. 
• If you must use a tub, or just like to bath once in a while to relax, don't fill the tub before you get in.  If you fill the tub while you are in it you can save 50-70 liters of water per bath. 
• Bathe small children together or one after another.
• Never use your toilet as a waste basket.
• Repair all leaks. To detect leaks in the toilet, add food coloring to the tank water. If the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet is leaking. 
• Repair all faucet leaks.  A single drip per second can waste around 7000 liters annually.
• If you have a old 13.25 liter toilet, get it replaced with a new more efficient ultra low flush 6L toilet or a dual flush toilet (3L/6L).
• Install a greywater recycling system to completely eliminate toilet water from your household water demand.  Click {ln:Brac Grey Water Systems 'here} to learn more.

  

Indoor Tips - Kitchen and Laundry - About 30% of household water is used here:

• Keep drinking water in the refrigerator or use ice cubs instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
• Install an aerator to reduce water usage.
• Do not use water to defrost frozen foods; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
• Scrape your dishes prior to washing them in the dishwasher and only wash full loads.
• If you need to replace your dishwasher look for a more efficient machine.
• Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
• Consider replacing your old top load washing machine with a more efficient front load machine when the time comes to replace it. New machines can save over 50% on water and energy use. 
• Repair all faucet leaks.  A single drip per second can waste around 7000 liters annually.

  

Outdoor Tips - During the summer months many municipalities see water usage increase as much as 50% due to outdoor water use:

• Detect and repair all leaks in irrigation system.
• Use properly treated wastewater for irrigation where available.
• Water the lawn or garden during the coolest part of the day (early morning is best). Do not water on windy days.
• Water trees and shrubs, which have deep root systems, longer and less frequently than shallow-rooted plants that require smaller amounts of water more often. Check with a local irrigation expert for advice on watering.
• Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface and cut down on weed growth.
• Set your sprinklers to water the lawn and/or garden only.  You won't make your driveway or sidewalk grow by watering it.
• Use soaker hoses or trickle irrigation systems which deliver water more directly to the roots for trees and shrubs.
• Install smart watering technology which use moisture sensors on sprinkler systems.
• Better yet, choose drought tolerant plant species which require little or no watering.
• Remove thatch and aerate turf to encourage movement of water to the root zone.
• Raise your lawn mower cutting height – longer grass blades help shade each other, reduce evaporation, and inhibit weed growth.
• Choose drought tolerant grasses to avoid the need to water grasses designed for wet climates.
• Consider a complete nature scape that is designed for your climate and will require little to no maintenance and irrigation. 
• Use rainbarrels or a larger rainwater harvesting system to provide part or all of the water you need for irrigation.
• Sweep driveways, sidewalks and steps rather than hosing them off.
• Wash the car with water from a bucket, a pressure washer, or consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• When using a hose, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle.  
• Never let your hose run when you put it down. 
• Use a pool cover to reduce evaporation when the pool is not being used.

Toilet technology has changed a lot in the past 30 years. Even though the basic function and purposeof a typical household toilet hasn't changed much there have been some significant improvements in the design of toilets. The key result of these changes is that toilets today perform better than toilets from 30 years ago, but use about 1/3 to 1/4 of the water to accomplish the same task.Now you might think to yourself, so, does it really matter? Let's just take a quick look at what this means.

Statistically the average person flushes between 5 and 7 times a day.Back inthe 60's and 70's a typical toiletwould flush upwards of18-20 liters of water per flush. Today, a similar toilet can flushjust as effectively with only 6L and some newer toilets around today as littleas 4.8 liters (Watersense approved).So this means thatduring a single day in the 70's the average person would flushbetween 90 and 125 liters down the toilet. That same person todaycan use as little as 24 to 34 liters to accomplish the same task. That means that over the course of one year using today's technology a single person would save between 25,000 and 34,000 liters of water.

Although there are many toilet design technologies that employ assistance tohelp a toilet flush (i.e. Pressure orVaccuum assisted models) we'll focus on looking at basic gravitytoilets as these are most common and probably what you have installed in your home today.

Introduction

First, let's take a quick look at why it's important to even care about the benefits of something like greywater recycling.  With water being so easily accessible in our homes today it's easy to forget about conservation and why we should care about something like reusing greywater within our homes.  However, although water is very easily accessible for many people around the world, it's not so easily accessible for a very large number of people.  According to WHO/UNICEF 2005, over 1.1 billion people (yes that's BILLION) do not have access to safe drinking water.  Hard to believe isn't it?  Something that we sometimes take for granted and is one of the most precious resources for sustaining life is clearly not taken for granted all over the world.  And to think, we use drinking water to flush our toilets. 

Closer to home (for those of us in N.A.) we should also consider a few more facts about water.  Even though approximately 70% of the world is covered with water only 2.5% of that water is actually fresh water.  Fresh water is the water that is suitable for drinking and bathing etc.  Of that 2.5% of fresh water more than 1.5% of it is locked in glaciers which leaves less than 1% of the water in the world accessible through lakes, streams, rivers and ground water sources.

In N.A. the Great Lakes supply water to more than 33 million people (approx. 9 million Canadians and 24 million Americans) yet only 1% of the waters of the great lakes are replenished each year by rain and snow melt.  Consider also the fact that without water there is no life, human or otherwise, and it should be quite clear that water, and the responsible use of water, should be on everyone's mind. 

There are many options for the average consumer today to address their drinking water needs.  You can purchase from the various bottled water options, drink straight from your tap, or install a home filtration system to improve the quality of water you drink, and for some people, cook with.

From an efficiency standpoint it might be surprising for you to know that the most popular in home filtration system on the market, although very effective at removing impurities in water, is not so effective when considered from a water efficiency standpoint.  To understand why this is let's first take a very quick look at the basic process of purification as done in a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system.

The primary principle of Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems is to push water through a special membrane that will not allow impurities in the water to pass through.  This is accomplished via pressure so no direct electrical force is required to produce purified water in an RO system.  Many RO systems will contain pre and post filtering as well.  The purpose of the pre-filter is to help remove larger contaminants from the water and to prolong the life of the membrane which is the key "cleansing" step in generating pure water in an RO system.  By using pre-filtration the life of the primary membrane can be extended.  Sometimes pure water is considered by some to taste flat.  This is due to the elimination of all the contaminants (minerals etc.) that ultimately help give water its taste.  By using a charcoal filter in the post-filtration stage the water is "polished" to take away the "flatness" and give it a more appealing taste. 

One of the most basic forms of rainwater harvesting is the Rain Barrel.  In Southern Ontario, ever increasing water demands due to explosive population and industrial growth are putting more and more stress on our water systems.  In the summer months the additional demand for water due to irrigation and other outdoor uses is pushing some water treatment facilities, and ground water sources, to their limits.  This is apparent when we take a look at how many municipalities issue watering bans and restrictions during the summer months to help reduce the load on our water systems, and our water supplies.

One very simple approach to helping reduce the demand on our systems, and draw on ground water sources, is to use a rain barrel.  One of the simplest forms of rainwater harvesting, rain barrels can eliminate the need for any municipal water to maintain a healthy and flourishing garden.   Many people invest a significant amount of money and time in shrubs, plants, flowers and vegetables around their home.  Each may have a different purpose (i.e. food, visual appeal, privacy etc.) but to the homeowner, each is important.  By using a rain barrel (or multiple barrels) you can sustain all of these plants, or at least significantly reduce your potable water use depending on the rainfall in your area. Rain barrels are also a very low cost appraoch to getting introduced to rainwater harvesting and helping to create awareness of it's benefits.

How Much Water Can I Collect? 

Let's take a look at this for a minute.  Although it may not rain everyday, or even every week when we go through a dry spell, you might be surprised by how much water can be captured from your roof during a short, but good rainfall.  The basic formula is tha for every 1 inch of rainfall you can collect about 620 Gallons or 2250 Liters from a 1000sqft roof surface.

Rainwater harvesting and storage is not really a new concept or technology. There is evidence of rainwater collection systems that date back as far as 1000-2000 BC.  Although a very effective and relatively simple system for capturing and storing water, rainwater cisterns lost momentum in favour of centralized systems like we have today in our local municipalities and cities.  There are, I'm sure, many reason that rainwater harvesting lost popularity in certain areas. One reason could be increased urbanization, and demands on water supply by growing industry.  In addition, a focus on dams and groundwater sources as well as the convenience of piped water and centralized treatment may have taken away from some of the focus on rainwater harvesting.  Nobody is saying these things are bad but they, and many other factors  may have reduced the perceived need for and/or benefit of rainwater harvesting in certain areas of the world.  However, it would seem that once again we are realizing the value of systems used in the past as we begin to understand the impact of urbanization and a "never run out" mentality.  With the cost of maintaining aging water distribution systems, population explosion, as well as the need for conservation and management of storm water, rainwater harvesting is getting a lot of attention again. 

Rainwater collection and storage systems have been found in many places such as the island of Crete at the Palace of Knossos (approx. 1700BC).  The embedded picture shows and example of a water run-off channel which would channel rainwater. The ancient Romans were also masters in rainwater harvesting and in the construction of reservoirs.  Homes would have an atrium with uncovered catchment areas (pools) for collection of domestic water.  Later, as water demands increased covered cisterns were constructed to gather excess water that could not be stored in these shallow reservoirs and to further protect the water from contamination. 

One of the largest cisterns in the world is the Yerebatan Sarayi which is located on the European side of Instanbul Turkey,  constructed under Caesar Justinian (527-565 AD).  This cistern measures approximately 140 x 70 meters and can store around 80,000m³ (80 million liters).  The cistern ceiling is 8 meters high and is supported by 336 pillars with Corinthian capitals.  Yerebatan Sarayı means Sunken Cistern, but it is also called Yerebatan Sarnıçı, which means Sunken Palace. It is also often known as the Basilica Cistern.  As a quick point of interest this location was used in the James Bond movie, From Russia With Love.  See picture below.

The Global Water Crisis

Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than a third of 1% of this is available to humans. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach. To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, little more than half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.

However, fresh water is essential to our existence, it allows us to produce food, manufacture goods and sustain our health. In fact, about 70% of our body is comprised of water.

Global water consumption has risen almost tenfold since 1900, and many parts of the world are now reaching the limits of their supply. World population is expected to increase by 45% in the next thirty years, while freshwater runoff is expected to increase by 10%. UNESCO has predicted that by 2020 water shortage will be a serious worldwide problem.

About Hydroelectric Energy

Hydroelectric energy is a renewable energy source dependent upon the hydrological cycle of water, which involves evaporation, precipitation and the flow of water due to gravity. Hydro Electricity is not a new technology but is used as a primary source of electricity in many countries in the world such as Canada, the United States, Brazil, China, Russia and Norway.  Based on information and statistics from 2003 there is over 700,000 MW of electric capacity generated by hydroelectric facilities around the world.   Hopefully that number has continued to increase over the past years as this technology is well established, proven and very environmentally friendly.

Understanding Hydroelectric Facilities

Small-Scale Hydroelectric Facilities

Benefits of Hydroelectric Energy 

• Hydroelectric energy is a renewable energy source
• Hydroelectric energy environmentally friendly.  
• It is non-polluting and no heat or noxious gases are released as the process involves harnessing the power of flowing water to turn the turbines
• Hydroelectric energy has no fuel cost and with its low operating and maintenance costs, it is potentially close to inflation proof
• Hydroelectric energy technology is a proven reliable technology
• Hydroelectric stations have a long life and many existing stations have been in operation for more than half a century and are still operating efficiently
• Hydropower station efficiencies of over 90% are achieved making it the most efficient of energy conversion technologies
• Hydropower offers a means of responding within seconds to changes in load demand (providing you are not at maximum capacity already)

About Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is basically the generation of electricity or heating/cooling systems that make use of temperatures in the earth itself.  The Earth's core lies approximately 6000 km below the surface and reaches temperatures that near 5000ºC (9000ºF). These extreme temperatures are sufficient to heat the rock that surrounds the core (the mantle) causing it to melt. Melted rock in the mantle is known as magma, as often pictured spewing from an active volcano.  Liquid magma has a lower density than the solid rock around it, so it tends to move upwards towards the earth's surface. The majority of the time magma stays below the earth's surface and heats up the surrounding rock and any pockets of water that come in contact with it. Geothermal systems typically take advantage of water tables that are heated by the magma.  

There are two types of energy that can be obtained from the earth: earth energy and geothermal energy.   It is important to note, however, that in many cases Geothermal Energy is the term that is generically used for either type of energy and little or no distinction is drawn between Earth and Geothermal Energy.  From my investigations the best distinction between earth energy and geothermal energy is the difference between making use of water that is heated by temperatures in the earth (geothermal) vs. using the temperature of the earth or water, to heat/cool water in a closed system using a heat pump (earth energy).

Wind Energy

The principle of Wind energy is pretty simple and very similar to hydroelectricity at a high level.  OK, water and wind obviously have some differences but they also have some similarities in this comparison.  Both technologies make use of kinetic energy to generate electricity.  In the case of Wind power it is the kinetic energy of moving air, and for Hydro it is the kinetic energy in moving water that provides the force necessary to generate electricity. Wind energy is a pollution-free and infinitely sustainable form of energy (providing you always have wind).  Wind energy doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas emissions at all, and doesn’t produce any byproducts like radioactive or toxic waste.

There are a number of different names for Wind based energy systems.  Most commonly they are referred to as "wind turbine generators", "wind pumps", or "wind turbines".

LED vs. Incandescent Christmas Lights 

It's the time of year again when the neighborhood starts to light up with anticipation and excitement for the Christmas season.  We have a yearly tradition which involves driving around the neighborhood looking for the craziest Christmas lights display we can find.  You would be amazed at how many houses get the honor of being considered for the Crazy House award.  We love the Christmas season and kids just love Christmas lights (big kids too).  So it's no wonder you might be thinking to yourself this year, should I go out and spend a pile of money on LED lights or just use the strings and strings of lights I have in the garage, or basement, or wherever you hid them for the other 11 months of the year.  Well, you’re not alone.  We are all asking the same question. 

I answered this question for myself this year.  Prior to writing this article I made the decision that I am willing to make the transition and toss all the old Christmas lights and spend some serious coin for LED replacements.  I probably only need about 500 lights for the front porch, and our Christmas tree combined.  I'm sure, based on the crazy houses in my neighborhood, that there are some people who would be looking at thousands of lights, if not tens of thousands if they wanted to make the transition.  500 lights is probably going to cost me somewhere around $120-$150 CDN.  Now, there are cheaper ways to do it but I personally refuse to buy the circus lights (no offence to those who love the red, yellow, green, blue etc. colours).   I'm a little bit of a Christmas traditionalist and will only put up white lights.   

About Bioenergy

 

Bioenergy is produced by the release of chemical energy contained within fuels made from biomass. What is Biomass, you might ask.  It is actually the result of solar energy that is stored by the photosynthetic activity of plants. As we know, plants remove CO₂ (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere and combine it with water to produce biomass. Some common sources of Biomass include; agricultural waste, forest wast, municipal waste, food processing waste etc.

What is Passive Solar Energy

Passive solar energy is the concept of taking into consideration the effects of natural solar energy during building design to take advantage of daylight, space heating and/or space cooling.  It is called passive solar energy as it does not require special materials, technologies, or systems to convert the solar energy into electricity to then be used for heating, cooling or lighting.   The most common building component used in passive solar energy is windows. Over a year, most windows loose more energy than they gain. Advanced windows can actually be net energy suppliers, with better net annual energy performance than the most tightly insulated wall.For some hints and tips on effective use of energy efficient windows visit the Efficient Windows Collaborative organization.

Passive Solar Cooling   

Passive solar space cooling is used in warm climates around the world.  The key concept of solar cooling is to locate windows in the upper floor of a building so that this space is solar-heated during the warm season.  When the building requires cooling the windows are opened to allow fresh air in and hot air to escape.  By focusing the incoming air on lower levels of the building, or through air ducts in the ground, thus providing further cooling (using geothermal principles) cooler air is brought into the lower levels of the building, and hotter air escapes from the upper level.  Natural convection, or forced air can be used to increase the flow of the cooler air to upper levels of the building.

Passive Solar Daylight   

The basic concept of Passive Solar Daylight is very simple.  If you have sufficient natural light in your home during the day you don’t need to turn on lights, thus reducing the electricity used.Tips on taking advantage of passive solar daylighting can be found at the following link: US DOE Building Technologies Program.

Solar Collectors

Not only are there many different ways that solar energy can be applied, but there are also many different methods for collecting the solar energy from incident radiation.  Below is a listing of some of the more popular types of solar collectors.  

• Glazed flat-plate solar collectors
• Unglazed flat-plate solar collectors
• Unglazed perforated plate collectors
• Back-pass solar collectors
• Concentrating solar collectors
• Air based solar collectors
• Batch solar collectors
• Solar cookers
• Liquid-based solar collectors
• Parabolic dish systems
• Parabolic trough systems
• Power tower systems
• Stationary concentrating solar collectors
• Vacuum tube solar collectors

More information about collectors can be found at the  U.S. Department of Energy – Solar Energy Technologies Program: Solar Heating.                

Solar Power, A Quick Overview

Solar power is the transformation of the energy provided by sunlight into electricity.  The resulting electricity is known as Photovoltaic Energy.  Photovoltaic Energy is created through the conversion of sunlight via a photovoltaic (PV) cell, often referred to as a solar cell.  You have probably seen one on a calculator you've used in the past.

Sunlight is composed of photons, or particles of energy. The amount of energy in a photon corresponds to the different wavelengths of the solar spectrum.  Available solar energy is often expressed in units of energy per time per unit area, such as watts per square metre  (W/m²). The amount of energy available from the sun outside the Earth’s atmosphere is approximately 1367 W/m²; that’s nearly the same as a high power hair drier for every square meter of sunlight!  Some of the solar energy is absorbed as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere.  As a result, on a clear day the amount of solar energy available at the Earth’s surface in the direction of the sun is typically 1000 W/m².  At any particular time, the available solar energy is primarily dependent upon how high the sun is in the sky and current cloud conditions.  On a monthly or annual basis, the amount of solar energy available also depends upon the location.  Furthermore, usable solar energy is depends upon available solar energy, other weather conditions, the technology used, and the application.  When photons strike a photovoltaic cell, they are either reflected, absorbed or pass right through the cell. Photons that are absorbed by the cell are able to provide energy to generate electricity. When enough sunlight (energy) is absorbed by the material (a semiconductor), electrons are excited and "freed" from the material's atoms.  The exciting of electrons, resulting in a bouncing back and forth, creates friction and therefore heat. The solar cell takes a percentage of these electrons and directs them to flow in a path. This flow of electrons is, by definition, electricity.