The technology is as simple as it is sensible and entails channeling rain water from roofs, via gutters and downpipes, into storage tanksplaced close to the house. It’s an ancient practice to which modernity has added screens, leaf beaters, water diverters, pumps, purification technologies and a wide range of choices in tank size, shape, color or composition.

For people with no access to piped municipal water, the decision to harvest rain water is an obvious one. But in the civilized, regulated first world, it is only worth doing if it genuinely benefits the planet, the pocket and the body. How much water does one save by using rain water for toilets and washing machines? Can it be used for vegetable gardens and for drinking water and if so is it better than municipal tap water? My research began with noting some essential facts about water:

• 80% of the earth’s surfaces is covered with water.
• 3% of is the earth’s water is fresh, and of this 3%, a whopping 75% is frozen.
• Less than 1% of all the water on the earth is available fresh water for drinking.
• If all the water on earth were in a gallon jug, the available drinking water would constitute one table spoon.

Ultimately all the water on earth dropped down from the sky as rain, ran over the earth in rivers or streams and collected in dams and seas.
En route over and through the ground, water dissolves chemicals and lands up at a pH of between 4.0 and 9.0 (below 7.2 is acid while above is alkaline). The lower the concentrations of acid-generating sulphur, nitrogen and carbon gases in the air (soxes, noxes and coxes) and the less contact with acid-generating substances in the ground, the less risk of the water becoming acidic. Acid water is corrosive and is able to dissolve and carry with it potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs). Water utilities use chemicals to adjust the pH of municipal water, to make it less corrosive, to help purify it (coagulation and precipitation then filtration), to adjust its hardness or softness and to disinfect it (chlorine, ozone, UV light). In spite of this process however a survey by the Ralph Nader group discovered excessive toxins in over 1500 municipal water supplies in the USA.

Water pollutants are divided into micro organisms, disinfectants, disinfectant by-products, organic chemicals and inorganic chemicals. BPA (bisphenol A) and phthalates from plastics do not even make it onto the contaminant list, although scientific evidence is gaining momentum that these products from common plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC with a resin code of 3) and polycarbonate (7) cause hormone changes and contribute towards cancer, fetal abnormalities and reduced immunity. Nor do these pollutants appear among the approx 1000 chemicals on the updated PROP 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer and reproductive abnormalities, published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in California.
Allegedly about 90% of the earth’s surface water is infected to varying degrees with parasites cryptosporidium and Giardia, bacteria E coli and salmonella and roto or polio viruses. Some also has nitrates from excessively fertilized soil. They are easily converted to nitrites which are decidedly unhealthy for a variety of reasons. The most worrying inorganic contaminants in water include excess aluminum, arsenic, asbestos, cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, fluoride, iron, lead, manganese, mercury, sulfate, thallium and zinc. Of 54 EPA listed organic pollutants the most harmful include alachlor, acryl amide, atrazine, benzene, benzopyrene, carbofuran, chlordane, carbon tetrachloride, chlorobenzene, dioxin, heptachlor, PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenols), toluene and vinyl chloride. Most of these stem from petroleum refineries, chemical factory discharge, leaching of landfills or pesticide residue. Any radioactive substances are clearly not a boon.
Even after treatment, some of these remain in concentrations regarded as too high for human health. Scientific evidence also steadily recommends reducing prescribed limits, so that when the permitted level of arsenic of 50 micrograms/litre, was shown to pose a risk of cancer, the EPA revised the levels. All municipal water has chlorine added, regarded as harmless enough in liquid form in approved amounts, but harmful as a gas (hence in hot water showers) or in combination with other chemicals resulting in toxic chlorine by-products. As effective as it is against most harmful waterborne diseases, chlorine has no impact on Cryptosporidium or Giardia, which may bypass poor filtration systems. Fluoride levels as high as 4mgs/L are approved although in 1994 a World Health Organization expert committee on fluoride use, stated that 1.0 mg/L should be an absolute upper limit. It is only during the formative stage of permanent teeth, between 6 months and 8 years of age, that systemic fluoride contributes to dental health. Thereafter its value is in topical application to teeth. Hence millions of tons of fluoride are unnecessarily ingested by people whose municipal water is fluoridated, with possibly detrimental effects on health.
The EPA provides a gold standard for water quality testing, and publishes on its website, an annual water quality report for every region of the USA with results of local water testing. Of the approx 75 000 toxic chemicals used in society the EPA has set MCLs (maximum contamination levels) for 87, based on their effect on a 175 lb adult. However each substance is tested separately, with no adjustment for accumulated effects or for the impact on children. The Ralph Nader Study Group‚ after reviewing over 10‚000 documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act‚ maintained that U.S. drinking water contains more than 2100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer.
All of this data makes harvesting one’s own rain water an attractive option. But how safe is the rainwater and what is it best used for?
I was first alerted to the value of rain water harvesting when I was stopped in my tracks by a 500 meter garden path in urban Newton (MA), lined by tomatoes, each like the tomato for T, on an ABC wall chart. It turned out they were watered with rain from a rainwater harvester and fed with seaweed. No pesticides allowed! This harvester was basic, with one collecting down pipe, a screen against insects and a hand tap that ran water into a hose or watering can.
But rainwater harvesting has its own risks. Lead based paints, tar based coatings, zinc in paint, acrylic painted roofs, fibrous cement roofs, galvanized iron, zincalume roofs, chemically treated timber and lead flashings should be nowhere along the collection stream, since all pose a risk of contaminating the water. Once the tank is installed, there should be monthly checking of gutters for vegetation and debris which can cause blocking and bacterial growth. Screens must be maintained to prevent mosquito larvae breeding and the tank may need occasional desludging, to remove sediment or algae.
The tank should be opaque, situated in the shade to prevent algae growth and it should be made from PET or polyethylene, (not one of the plastics that leeches chemicals into water, such as polyvinyl or poly carbonate), stainless steel, galvanized steel or fiberglass. If one’s house is in an industrial area, chances are the water will contain boxes soxes and coxes, be acidic and contain industrial chemical pollutants emitted from smoke stacks or drawn up in the vapor of any waters used as industrial waste dumps or close to landfill sites. It is advisable therefore to let the first flush of water from any rainfall wash away entirely, by installing water divertersinto the system.

The choice of tank is as wide as the application. The most basic waters the garden. With added reticulation through pumps and pipes, rain water can flush toilets, supply washing machines and showers or be used for drinking. Each stage requires further plumbing, pumping and monitoring. The cost also increases with each application and if used for drinking water, the method of purification is of paramount importance. As a rule of thumb, approx 150 gallons should be installed per person (this varies according to roof area and rainfall) and the cost could vary from 500 to 3000 dollars. The size of the barrel depends on how much water you use. On average one person consumes and uses 50 to 100 gallons per day and 600 gals soak 100 sq feet of garden. One inch of rainfall on a 1000 square foot roof (approx 3 garages) can capture 623 gallons of water. The average bath tub takes 41 gallons. If one goes to the trouble of harvesting rainwater; a 400 gallon drum seems a reasonable starting point with the potential to add drums as required. In MA where water costs every 400 gallons of rain water used saves ……………………… $ in water costs.

The first flush of rainwater after a dry season should be allowed to run to waste as it will be contaminated with dust, bird droppings etc. Roof gutters should have sufficient incline to avoid standing water. They must be strong enough, and large enough to carry peak flows. Storage tanks should be covered to prevent mosquito breeding and to reduce evaporation losses, contamination and algal growth. Rainwater harvesting systems require regular maintenance and cleaning to keep the system hygienic.

Installing a system for gardening needs no debate. Adding reticulation for toilets and washing machines makes sense if one can afford the cost. Harvesting rain water for an entire home water system is ideal if one is committed to maintenance and installs a full home water purifying system allowing for municipal back up when there is no rain.
For me, the ideal is to install a stainless steel or safe plastic rainwater tank which has a gutter mesh, to prevent leaves and debris from blocking gutters, gutter outlets that prevent obstruction to water flow, leaf beater rain heads on the downpipes to further prevent blocking and keep mosquitoes out of pipes that hold water, a water diverter to prevent the first flush of rainwater from entering the tank, a tank screen, flap valves and at some future date a pump system, rainwater filter and home water purification system.

Banding together with one’s neighbors and forming a roster for members of the co operative to take turns in having the rainwater tested, is a great way to share the load of finding local solutions.
We can live approximately 30 days without food but seldom more than 3 without water. The theory that water crystals respond to the mood you project onto them is difficult to swallow, but treating the earth and the water that flows on it with respect and love is the best way to make it not only healthy, but a sheer delight to swallow.

Tax credits apply to the following technologies and installations:
1. REPLACING DOORS WINDOWS AND SKYLIGHTS.
You can add or replace any number of windows, doors or skylights to your existing principal residence, provided they have an Energy Star efficiency rating.
Tax credit is 10% of the cost of the windows, up to $200 per window, and 10% of the cost of the replacement for doors and skylights, up to $500 per item, excluding installation costs.
2. INSULATION.
With insulation you loose less heat, therefore use less heat, and you require less cooling. Alone is can affect your bill by 30%. There’s a wide range of insulating materials varying in efficiency. Those eligible for tax credits require a Manufacturer’s Certification Statement. They include, rolls, batts, rigid boards, blow-in fibers, expanding spray, pour-in-place and air sealants, including weather stripping, spray foam, caulk and house wrap
Tax credit is 10% of the cost of the new insulation, up to $500, excluding labor or installation costs.
3. CHANGES TO HVAC OR OTHER HEATING AND COOLING UPGRADES
The bulk of your utility bill goes toward heating and cooling (approx 40%) therefore replacing or upgrading these systems will have a major impact on your home running costs.
• Energy Efficient House Fans & advanced main air circulating fan moves air through your furnace and duct system more efficiently.
Tax credit is $50.
• Air source heat pump moves air between the outside and inside of your home, from a cool space to warm, heating it in winter and cooling it in the summer. It’s more efficient than a regular HVAC system and costs far less.
Tax credit is $300, with specific energy efficiency ratings.
• Geothermal heat pumps use the ground for heating and cooling and are one of the most efficient mechanisms available.
Tax credit 30% of cost in any home except rentals.
• Central air conditioning systems with a tax efficient certification.
Tax credit $300.
• Hot water boiler propelled by gas, propane or oil, with a thermal efficiency of at least 90%.
Tax credit of $300 (includes installation costs).
• Biomass stoves, otherwise known as wood stoves burn biomass in the form of waste plant fibers and agricultural waste, wood and wood waste and residues (including wood pellets) and grasses. They are more efficient than old wood burning stoves and do not produce the toxic gases of the old ones.
Tax credit $300 on the cost of a new stove, provided it has a thermal efficiency rating of 75%.
4. SOLAR WATER HEATERS.

Water heating accounts for between 14% and 25% of the energy consumed in your home, hence installing a solar water heater that can be backed up with conventional power when there is insufficient sunlight will have a major impact on your bill. They work by siphoning water through a system of tubes mounted on the roof of your house and typically have a collecting and a storage component.
Tax credit is 30% of the solar system, which must be Energy Star, SRCC, or comparably rated by the relevant state. Installation costs and labor are included.
5. PHOTO VOLTAIC PANELS are a way of installing your own mini power station. The panels capture light energy from the sun and convert it into electricity, which is stored in a battery and then converted into the alternating current used for household appliances and lighting.
The initial outlay is expensive but with 30% tax credit, including installation costs, you have the luxury of being independent of energy utilities. Photovoltaic systems must provide electricity for existing or new, principal or secondary residence, and must meet applicable fire and electrical code requirement.
Mini transportable PV panel systems that provide one or two LED lights and power for a mobile phone, TV or lap top are fabulous for campers or hikers. No danger of candles; no smell of kerosene; only sunlight captured by day and used at night. These are stand alone items that do not earn tax credits.
6. WIND TURBINES
The old wind mill, picturesque symbol of farms and fairy tales, has been upgraded to the modern wind turbine, which offers an ideal way to generate your own electricity and reduce your bills. The turbine collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity that is compatible with a home’s electrical system.
The tax credit is 30% of the cost of the system (including parts, labor and installation costs), provided the nameplate capacity is not more than 100 kilowatts. It applies to new or existing, primary or secondary residence.
7. RESIDENTIAL HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS and Micro turbine Systems convert chemical energy into electricity. They use hydrogen from natural gas converting it into electricity and producing water as a by product. Fuel cells systems can be expensive to install depending on the application and they do require refilling with natural gas.
The tax credit for installing it in your primary residence is 30% of the cost, up to $500 per 0.5 kilowatt of power generating capacity. It applies to new and existing homes System must have efficiency of at least 30% and a capacity of at least 0.5 kW.
By integrating a range of solutions & energy conservation kits one can have a home that costs the barest minimum to run, since once installed, the items require mostly natural energy sources. A hybrid energy system involves a combination of technologies, if need be backed up by the utility. A SMART metering system could be controlled by a computer to maximize efficiency and select the appropriate technology at any one time.
The future of energy is now. It’s clean, it’s exciting and it’s getting a whole lot cheaper with government support.

A typical showerhead will burn through 2.5 to 3.5 gallons of hot water per minute. Compare this to a low-flow showerhead, which uses only 1.6 to 1.7 gallons per minute. This adds up to an immense amount of reduced water usage over the lifetime of the showerhead. These savings equate to save money & reduced CO2 emissions.
You might be wondering if a low-flow showerheads will feel like a fraction of a normal shower, like a trickle of water instead of a powerful stream. You need not worry, as the newer energy-saving showerheads share few similarities to its predecessors, from the 1970s and 1980s. Those older low-flow showerheads felt as if you were showering underneath a trickle of water. A current model use aerators and pressurizes to conserve water without the decrease in the force of the spray of water
Whether you’re interested in fixed showerheads or handheld showerheads, you can save money and energy with either. The price of a new showerhead will be made up quickly by the savings you will add up many times over after every single use. You can choose from a broad selection of wonderful, sleek, Eco-friendly, low-flow showerheads at site dedicated to lowering home energy costs, homeenergysaver.com

Air Purifiers for Your Home – Save Energy with an Eco-Friendly Air Cleaner

An Air Cleaner for your home can make a big difference in the quality of the air that you and your family breathe. Finding the right air purifier can save you loads of money, but there are many options to choose from. It’s important to know what to look for when thinking to buy an Eco-friendly air cleaner
People buy air cleaners to keep their rooms, homes, and offices allergen free and healthy. These amazing machines draw air in through dust and allergen air filters, trapping pollen, pet dander, bacteria, mold spores, dust mite debris, and smoke particles.

If you’re ready to purchase an energy efficient air cleaner, you should place it in an area of your house that you spend the most time in, or contains the highest amount of irritating allergens. If you spend a varied amount of time in several different rooms, then consider a portable unit that you can roll around from room to room.

You also should consider the capacity of a unit. Different room sizes require different purifier sizes. You don’t want to skimp on the size of the unit if you plan to use it in a room that’s larger than recommended. You should balance the size of the unit with the size of the room, to ensure you use the least amount of energy while keeping the air you breathe clean. A top-notch Air Cleaner will display filter status with LED indicators, will use a remote control, and will not emit ozone.

A great place to check out a top-recommended Air Cleaner is HomeEnergySaver.com, where you can find a great deal on an Eco-friendly home air cleaner.

Thanks to HomeEnergySavers like you, we are thrilled to announce that our site (and community) has been growing quickly, with more and more visitors each day. We’ve been building our site over the last months and are excited to show you what we’ve done!

Find a Contractor Feature
Check out our new “Find a Contractor” feature, where you can search a network of hundreds of accredited installers and contractors from around the country to find just the right person for your next green project.

HomeEnergySaver Challenges
What’s more fun than going green in your home? A little friendly competition! Now, you can challenge your friends with our new Challenge Box! Here’s how it works: Every couple of weeks we post a new challenge related to going green – e.g. we recently asked visitors to check their fridges’ temperatures – it seems obvious, but every degree makes a difference when it comes to energy (and money) saving. We keep it simple because we know that’s important for busy consumers like yourselves. Our FacebookConnect login makes it easy to join and complete the challenge…and to share your accomplishment with your friends via an automatic post to your news feed. We know you like going green, but who doesn’t like a prize to up the anti? Each challenge comes with a prize that is unlocked when enough people have completed the challenge. So go ahead, get your friends involved.

What do you think? Have other ideas? Leave a comment or email us at customercare@homeenergysaver.com and let us know!

Making Green $imple,
The HomeEnergySaver.com Team

Here’s how the Facebook app works. Once you buy a product at HomeEnergySaver and create a profile, we start keeping a record of the energy-saving products you’ve purchased at our store. You, the customer, can use this info to log and track your projected savings. The HomeEnergySaver Facebook app then integrates this data with your Facebook profile, allowing you to share your progress and savings with friends.

Our Facebook app also allows HomeEnergySaver customers to dedicate their savings – in the form of virtual trees – to friends. Every tree represents 22kg of CO2 not emitted thanks to the use of energy-efficient products and services. In time, we hope to see virtual forests of dedicated trees. Tree dedicatees receive a Facebook notification message, and we hope a friendly nudge to start paying more attention to their own energy consumption.

Even with all this advanced and networked technology, our mission remains simple and direct: To make going green easy, inspiring, and economical. We care about the big picture, but we’re really invested in the day-to-day.

We offer two basic concentrations: energy conservation  and water conservation.

Our energy monitoring kits come in four varieties: basic, starter, intermediate, and pro-efficiency. The basic contains the Kill A Watt Electricity Monitor P4400 and the Black & Decker Power Monitor EM100B. The starter kit is far more comprehensive; it contains a low-flow showerhead, two faucet aerators, the Kill a Watt Energy Monitor P4400, a selection of MaxLite CFL bulbs, two GreenLite Diamond Blue Night Lights, a toilet tank water saver, and foam switch plate and outlet gaskets.

For those looking for even more energy-efficiency, our “intermediate” kit contains everything in the starter kit plus a BITS Smart Power Strip LCG5 and the Plate Pals Single Toggle Temperature Thermometer. The “pro” kit includes all of the above except the Smart Power Strip, swapping in a BlueLine PowerCost energy monitor instead.

Our water efficiency kit contains a low-flow showerhead, a dual spray flow-control aerator, the 0.5 galloon-per-minute ultra saver aerator, toilet tank water saver, and a shower timer.

Perhaps equally importantly, each kit is self-installable and comes with detailed instructions!

Pharox 300 Dimmable LED Bulb

Installing the Pharox 300 dimmable bulb is one of the best and simplest ways to become energy efficient. These bulbs are ideal eco-friendly and healthy replacements for traditional 60 Watt light bulbs.

You may have heard a great deal about the energy savings benefits of using CFL bulbs (compact fluorescent lights). However CFL bulbs contain Mercury, a toxic chemical. CFL bulbs also emit harmful UV (ultra violet) light. By contrast, LED bulbs like the Pharox 300 dimmable bulb are safe for your health and for the environment – they do not contain Mercury, they do not emit harmful UV light, and they use much less electricity than incandescent bulbs and even CFL bulbs!

The Pharox 300 bulb is based on a breakthrough patented LED technology that results in 90% greater energy-savings than incandescent bulbs. The Pharox is dimmable and can be used to create both dramatic and intimate lighting effects. It’s ideal for lamps and reading lights and works with all standard lamp fittings. It can be used in any standard screw-in light fixture. If you use a Pharox bulb for 4 hours a day, it will last an unbelievable 25 years. The bulb lights up in an instant and does not flicker at all. Using only 6 watts, they generate as much light as an old 60-watt bulb. We consider them one of the most energy-efficient, green-friendly lighting options on the market.

We designed our interactive Savings Calculator to be a helpful, confusion-busting tool. For example: Say you are considering swapping out two incandescent bulbs in your living room to LED bulbs. The HomeEnergySaver Savings Calculator will calculate the dollars saved over the product’s lifetime, the money saved over the course of a year, and it will even tell you how much CO2 you’re saving.

Our team is working on bringing this savings tracker feature to other products too. Please check back for updates as we expand and grow.

But since sticker price is often the first thing we consider when making a buying decision, many people stick with  the old incandescent bulb. Here’s our argument for why that’s a bad idea:

• If you keep using old incandescent bulbs, you will be changing light bulbs 6 times more often than if you used CFL bulbs and 40 times more often than if you used LEDs.
• While the incandescent bulb might costs $1.35 for a 60 watt globe, and the LED light costs $47.95 for the same illumination, the LED bulb uses 1/10th the electricity, the LED bulb costs 10 times less to operate, and lasts 40 times longer! The LED light actually saves $16 per year.
• The LED bulb also has no mercury, is dimmable, looks stylish, and emits a lovely warm light without any harmful UV light – the closest replacement to an incandescent bulb’s light that we have seen yet.

Should you not want to spend that much on an LED bulb, and prefer the CFL option, a fixed intensity CFL bulb costs only 2 1/2 times as much as an incandescent, uses only a 1/4 of the electricity and lasts 6 times as long. Your savings is approx. $13 per year per bulb. If you include energy usage in your calculation, it becomes an even cheaper option. One disadvantage to the CFL? It contains mercury, so be sure to dispose of it in a special container. If you find the light too harsh, you can opt for a (more expensive) dimmable CFL. We also sell a mini bulb which is more attractive than the large one of similar intensity.

Recently it has been alleged that the CFL has certain undesirable health effects if used for long periods of time. Taking all factors into consideration, HES believes that LED bulbs are a winner!