Having a guilt free spa bath

You know whit it feels like…
Electricity prices going up…
Petrol prices going up…
Interest rate and bank uncertainty…

… And amongst all of that, trying to find a way to create your "dream home". Somewhere that you can relax, unwind and let the pressures of every day life roll off your shoulders...

Maybe you have already read some books, done some surfing on the internet and gone to sites that claim they can help you save water and electricity... Then they tell you to turn the power point off at the wall when you have finished watching TV and have 4 minute showers.

Well those changes are valid and do work, but you and I both know that there’s more to it than that. And besides, if you are not one of those people who get to have a massage every week or so, then a 15 minute shower may be your only escape from the kids, work and stress of every day life.

Now, I’m sure that you are probably aware of some of the obvious fundamentals of energy efficient housing:

 Lots of Windows to let the sun in to warm you up in winter
 Insulate the walls and ceilings
 Use energy efficient appliances

But there are houses being built like this all across the country, and they simply aren’t comfortable to live in. They still need lots of heating and cooling.

OK so what’s the answer? How do you create a home that is energy efficient, affordable, and comfortable; and one that you can happily have a guilt free spa in!

By following fundamentals and applying them where it counts the most in your home. But I still hear you say: don’t people already do this? Next time you go for a walk around your neighbourhood have a look at how many solar hot water panels there are on the roof tops.

Most people know that solar hot water is good for the environment and saves energy. Around 30% of the average Australian electricity bill is taken up by heating your hot water. New evacuated tube solar hot water systems will save around 70% of those costs and more for most Australians.

Did you know that Melbourne gets as much sunshine as the south of Spain and parts of Northern Africa? And most of Australia receives more sunshine than Melbourne.
Now if you live in the shade of a neighbouring building or hill side then you can still save up to 75% off your hot water bills with another great Australian invention: The heat pump hot water system. They work like a reverse cycle air conditioner, and save heaps of energy on your hot water bills.

There are a range of brands to choose from, with two options being from Quantum and Siddons. Generally speaking the most effective savings in CO2 emissions are gained with a solar hot water system with a gas back up (for when the sun doesn’t shine).

These types of savings will literally put money back into your hip pocket. If you invest in the right unit it will work financially for you as well as environmentally. You can trust me because I don’t want to sell you a particular model… I just want you to save money and have a lighter eco footprint.

What about saving water?

You know the story: “we love a sunburnt country… droughts and flooding plains…” We know that we live in the driest inhabited continent on the planet. And we know that it never rains - it pours. This is not new information; but if you get the chance to have a look at the Bureau of Meteorology website statistics for your area, you’ll likely see some worrying signs for rainfall trends.
As a result in many areas it is now mandatory to include a rain water tank when you build a new home. But how big should it be and what else can you do?

Reduce; Reuse; Recycle. Always the best place to start is to reduce. You’ve seen the adds on TV, but they don’t really explain why in this order. The answer is so you can enjoy a relaxing guilt free spa or bubble bath every week!

The good thing about water is that reusing is recycling and it is safe and easy to do.

Nearly half of all water consumed in the home is used in the bathroom. 20% of that water is literally flushed down the toilet. Now if you're unsure where to invest money in the current climate here's a good idea for a tax free return on your investment:

It is now mandatory that tap ware now sold in Australia is water saving. By buying more water-efficient products, you can save money on water and electricity bills and help the environment. Look for a product that has a high star rating – the more stars, the more water efficient the product. A standard 3-star rated showerhead can save the average home $150 a year in water bills and can be purchased for as little as $50.

I'm going to say it again: If you invest your money in the right place to be sustainable and eco-friendly - you will get a financial benefit.

Saving water in the shower...
Showerheads with a 3-star rating use no more than 9 litres of water per minute, while old style showerheads use 15 – 20 litres per minute. If you shower for ten minutes, a water efficient showerhead can save up to 100 litres of water for each shower or up to 36,000 litres of water per person per year.

With that amount of water saving you can comfortably have a guilt free spa bath!

Can you see how it starts to add up? OK we’ve reduced our consumption with water saving showerheads and dual flush toilets. Now to reuse and recycle. Step 1: a water tank.

You will collect 1 litre of water for every square metre of roof area every time 1mm of rain falls on you roof.

For example of your home is 200m2 and you get 10mm of rain overnight, your tank will catch 2000 litres of water. If you get 60mm of rain in a month then you will capture 12,000 litres (60mm x 200m2).

Now what most people tend to forget is that we want the water more when it’s not raining, so if you have a rainwater tank you want to make sure it can store enough water for a dry spell.

On average people use around 200L of water a day at home. So for a family of four, that’s 800 litres of water a day.

If you want to be self sufficient in your water supply, and it doesn’t rain for 30 days at your place then you need 4 x 200 x 30 (4 people x 200 litres x 30 days) = 24,000 litres of storage capacity.

The good news is you can safely recycle most of the water that gets used at home and put it to good use. An easy way to save water is to recycle it. Statistics tell us that in the average urban home we use 25% of our water on the garden. If you water your garden with a sprinkler for just one hour that’s as much as 1000 litres of water!

A grey water system will recycle water from your shower (or spa!). So attach a grey water system to your spa, shower and laundry tub and keep your garden looking great what ever water restriction levels apply!

Grey water systems can be purchased from most plumbing stores. Check with your local council to confirm what requirements need to be met and systems should be installed by a licensed plumber.

So by taking the first step and reducing the amount of water you use by installing water saving taps, dual flush toilets, use drip irrigation instead of hoses, watering the lawn at the right time of day so you don’t lose half to evaporation… you lessen the water storage requirements to be self sufficient dramatically, so you can invest in a smaller rainwater tank to get the same outcome.

All without a change in lifestyle… well except for the weekly bubble bath or spa! All it requires is a few subtle changes: The differences that make the difference. The Master Builders Association research tells us that buildings in Australia are responsible for 42% of our emissions. We know we all have a responsibility to save water and reduce our emissions. What you haven’t been told up till now is how easy it is to do!



Solar Power.
Solar power is here now and readily available. We know it works and you can simply buy and have installed a ‘plug and play’ system and continue on with your life as though nothing has changed. There are literally thousands of houses across Australia that run totally from solar power.

What are Photovoltaics?
There is a difference between solar hot water systems and solar power panels – photovoltaics. Put simply, a photovoltaic is a material that is capable of generating electricity when exposed to light.
Is there enough sunshine?
In less than 2 hour of daylight the sun provides us with the amount of energy that is consumed by the entire population of the planet in one year. Even Hobart in Tasmania, which has the lowest level of sun of all of Australia’s capital cities, has more than double the average sun hours that much of Germany has, whose long term goal is a quarter of the generation of electricity would be produced from solar.

Is it really cost effective?
There are four major contributing factors to cost effective solar power: How much sun you receive, the cost of the solar power system, the price you pay for electricity and how much electricity you use.

The key to the system being cost effective is to ensure that your home is designed and built to be energy efficient. To make solar power more cost effective for your home use natural gas for cooking; solar (including heat pump) hot water systems; passive solar designs and insulation for heating and cooling and an energy efficient fridge. These practices will make the initial cost of your photovoltaic system much more manageable and your return on investment healthier.

To make your home truly sustainable with solar power the following steps will help:

When you are replacing your appliances, choose energy efficient ones.
Replace your light globes with compact fluorescents
Replacing hot water systems with solar or heat pump hot water units.
Improve your insulation and windows
Use skylights effectively to warm and cool your home.

Then you can more cost effectively add photovoltaics to your home and get a real return on your dollar.

Having a guilt free spa bath - To learn more about this author, visit Libe Chacos's Website.

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