Here are a few "EcoTips" taken from EcoLiving 101 and EcoLiving 101 for Busy People.
Install an Efficient Showerhead
All
"low-flow" showerheads are not the same. By definition, any showerhead delivering no more than about 9.5 litres of water per minute
(L/min) is considered a low-flow showerhead. However, it's possible to have a good shower using much less than this amount. A
5 L/min shower can be quite acceptable for most people and will save almost twice as much hot water as a 9.5 L/min
shower. The trick is in finding the right showerhead!
One inexpensive showerhead ($10 - $12) that has worked
well for many people is pictured to the left and is identified below by its product number.
Home Hardware: SKU # 3266913
Home Depot: Product # 157624
Canadian Tire: #63-0157-8
With heating oil costing $1.00 per litre and assuming domestic water is heated with a tankless coil in a
conventional oil-fired boiler, a family of three that takes a total of 18 showers each week, with each shower lasting 8 minutes,
will save about $165 each year by replacing their 12 L/min showerhead with a 6 L/min showerhead.
Check Your Tire Pressure Every
Month
There are two reasons why checking your tire pressure is such a big deal. First, having even one tire under-inflated by 6 pounds
per square inch will increase your fuel consumption by about 3 percent. This is because under-inflated tires increase
the vehicle's rolling resistance which makes the engine work a bit harder. (On a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu driven
20,000 kilometers annually, this would amount to an extra 53 litres of fuel being consumed each year, or an
additional $69 if gasoline
costs $1.30 per litre.)
Second, under-inflated tires wear out prematurely;
as much as 10,000 kilometers early in some cases.
But
before you go out and put extra air in each tire,
keep in mind that over-inflation will cause also
cause premature wear.
The best inflation pressure remains the one recommended by the vehicle's manufacturer.
Read Your Reports Online Instead of Printing
Them
The key to this is having a monitor that can be rotated into the "portrait" position rather than
one that is locked
in the standard "landscape" position. Since most reports are compiled in
portrait format, having your screen
orientated the same way will allow you to see the entire page
rather than only being able to see part of the page. If you have
a 19 inch monitor, you will
even be able to view the entire page larger than actual size. Most lcd monitors can be adapted
to
be used in portrait mode by replacing the fixed base with a pivoting base and by loading "pivot" software that allows the screen
image to be rotated.
Install Insulating Gaskets Behind Your Cover Plates
For decades, hardware stores have been
carrying insulating foam gaskets to place behind the cover plates of wall switches and electrical outlets. These gaskets are inexpensive,
easy to install, and will help reduce the infiltration of cold air into your house. Once in place, they will add to your comfort and
help reduce your heating costs year after year.
Click here for an audio commentary on low-flow showerheads.
Are you curious as to what the four-second rule is? To find out, click here for an audio commentary.