Gary Smith

Did you know that bath fixtures made before 1992 can waste up to 3 gallons of water each minute you spend in the shower? The shower and the toilet are the two areas in the bathroom where you can keep your money from going down the drain!

Take an empty gallon pale and turn your shower on full blast. Wait 2 minutes and check the pale. If it's overflowing you're wasting water! Change the shower head to a low flow model. Shower heads start at about $10.00 and changing it is a very simple task.

Plumbing leaks account for about 15% of water usage. It's a good idea to check your toilet for leaks. Here's how: Lift the tank cover and drop about 5-10 drops of food coloring into the tank. Now don't flush yet! Wait about 15 minutes, lift the toilet seat and check the water color. A leaky toilet will show in the bowl as colored water and you'll need to mend the leak.

Now for the most productive water saver! Just look into the mirror. Here are a few tips that you can use to help save water.

* When you brush your teeth, turn the water off.
* Toss trash into the waste can rather than flushing it down the toilet.
* Save 7 times the water by taking a shower rather than a bubble bath.

For more information on energy saving construction and green living contact Gary N Smith at www.garynsmith.net or call toll free at: 1-877-809-6139.

The following communication and information is taken directly from our reporting methods...

HVAC Systems and Components Refrigerant Lines: At the low pressure and high pressure lines ...A qualified licensed air conditioning contractor is suggested to evaluate leaking air as the copper lines enter the coil cabinet. I suggest that repairs be made to stop the leak.

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Dear Gary,

Does that mean that the A/C line is leaking?

Thanks,

Robert

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Robert,

No.

As the large and small suction lines enter the coil cabinet (in the attic at the furnace) the lines should be sealed to prevent air from leaking from the coil cabinet out into the hot attic (wasting your cooled air and your money). It will also improve the head pressure on the system thereby delivering more air to your home. It’s a common find and can be fixed by either taping or using liquid mastic to plug the hole up.

An HVAC Contractor can fix in 5 min or less… Cost: (not including the HVAC Tech’s fee… $0 - $25.00 (if you have the tape the cost is nothing…a gallon of mastic will paint 450 feet, 3 inches wide…way more than you need for this job, but, mastic works best!). I will return and re-inspect the items listed on the marginal section of the report when he’s done. I would suggest that re-inspections be performed before you close…

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For more information on home inspections and building energy efficient homes contact me toll free at: 1-877-809-6139 or online www.garynsmith.net.

Remember when you were a kid and your mom always yelled, "Are you still in the shower? You're wasting water."? Well not only were sending gallons down the drain but spending hard earned cash heating more water.

Ready-Set-Go ... Get a Timer: Use a shower timer and try to keep your shower limited to below five minutes, the shorter the better – sometimes just being aware of how long you have been in the shower will help you keep your shower time shorter. This may be very difficult, especially since we Americans average close to ten minutes, but any time that you can trim off will help.

Don't Be a Dope When You Soap: Turn the water off when you soap up! While you are shampooing your hair or soaping your body, you do'nt need the water running down the drain. In fact, it is almost easier if the water is off.

Go With the Flow - Low Flow: Buy a low flow showerhead. Make sure that your showerhead uses not more than 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm). It is best if you can find one that uses only 1.5 gpm. Realize that some showerheads, especially older showerheads, have a flow of around 6-8 gpm! Also, using a low flow showerhead does not mean that you have to sacrifice water pressure. There are many different, excellent low flow showerheads that you might even like better than your current, 6 gpm showerhead!

For more infomation on Building Smart and Saving Energy contact me at gary@garynsmith.net or toll free at: 1-877-809-6139.

What factors will you consider in selecting, locating, and installing windows in your new home? When selecting windows you should choose those with low potential for condensation. For best results in Mississippi, windows must have a U value less than or equal to 0.50 and a solar heat gain factor (SHGF) less than or equal to 0.40, or must be Energy Star® or NFRC labeled.

The location of windows in your new home is also important. Daylighting is a technique of using natural light from the sun and the sky and incorporating it into your home via the windows. Using daylight is free and efficient, which translates to lower energy consumption and utility savings.

When using daylighting, be mindful of the seasons. In the summer, the sun’s rays are more intense. To avoid over-heating, window coverings or overhangs should be used to shield the windows from solar heat gain. In the winter, the sun moves on a different seasonal path creating less warmth. You may want to consider locating more windows on the south side of the home to take advantage of the natural solar affect, and locating fewer on the north facing windows. Plant trees on the south facing wall of your home to shade the home in the summer.

Windows must be installed correctly to protect moisturesensitive materials from rainwater intrusion. Install head flashing over the tops of the windows. Shingled drainage paper must be wrapped into the rough openings on the sides and bottom of the window. Pan flashing, which allows water that penetrates the window, or the window installation, to drain outside of the wall assembly and away from the house, must also be used at the bottom of the windows.

For more information about window installation and Best Building Practices contact me at gary@garynsmith.net or call me toll free: 1-877-809-6139.

Mark your calendar for February 17, 2009. The Jackson Association of Home Builders is offering a Certified Green Professional - CGP course for home builders.

The designation requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved training, and additional continuing education every two years. Subjects covered in training discuss how green homes provide buyers with lower energy costs and higher value, and will include strategies for incorporating green-building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction.

When: 2/17/2009 - 2/18/2009
8:30AM - 4:30PM
Where: Ridgeland , MS
HBA of Jackson
195 Charmant Drive
Other Locations & Times: View All
NAHB Member Fee: $275
Non-member Fee: $350
Contact Information:
Spence Tribble
HBA of Jackson
195 Charmant Drive
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Phone: 601-362-6501
Fax: 601-982-7684
E-Mail Address: spence@hbajackson.com
Instructor(s): Thomas Gotschall
Sponsoring HBA: HBA of Jackson