Category Archives: Water Conservation

Zeta Communities- Net Zero Modular Green Building

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Modular Green Building Oakland

Who moved my cheese?

Zeta communities is a new type of construction company. ZETA  is building modular homes in a factory in Sam Leandro CA. that are net zero, that means over the course of a year ZETA buildings’ energy production and occupant consumption of energy nets to zero. It does this by combining advanced energy efficiency technology with grid-tied photovoltaics and other clean energy sources.  Affordable, good quality construction, stylish and green.  Could this be the future of construction?

This Flagship home is certainly a very interesting concept and for a green plumber, its a treasure trove of new technology.

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First Permitted Gray Water/ Rain Water System, Contra Costa County.

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75 Gallon Grey Water Storage Tank

75 Gallon Grey Water Storage Tank

The tanks are now in the ground for the first permitted Gray Water Recycle and Rain water Harvesting  system in Contra Costa County.

This new construction custom home in Lafayette was ‘Dual-Plumbed’ from the very start.  Dual Plumbing refers to the system of installing separate pipes for gray water and black water within the building envelope.  The drain lines for the tubs and showers, lavatory sinks and laundry were installed parallel to the toilet and kitchen sink drains (black-water).  This is completely code compliant and does not need special permitting.

The home owner was very motivated for conscious construction and worked diligently with the architect, consultant, contractor and plumbing contractor to push for the permit for a gray water/ rain water system.  The permit has been approved, setting precedent for other systems in the Contra Costa County and, hopefully, surrounding areas. Continue reading →

Is It Time Your Showerhead EVOLVED?

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http://e3living.com/files/imagecache/product_full/evolve_chrome_showerhead_save_efficient.jpgLike many of us who enjoy a hot shower, you probably turn on your shower and while you wait for it to get up to temperature, you wander off and brush your teeth, make the bed, write an email, feed the dog.  While multi-tasking is a valuable skill, two and a half gallons of water per minute flow down the drain while you mow the lawn and iron the cat.

The clever folks at Evolve Showerheads have designed a device to minimize the impact of the wait for hot water.  An attractive shower head that shuts itself off when the temperature of the water reaches 95 degrees. Now you can tell when the shower is hot because you can hear that it has stopped flowing and you can now proceed with your bathing. When you step into the shower, gently pull the tag and let the shower flow. CLEVER!

Evolve Showerheads claim that this device can save 2700 Gallons of water per year! But that is not the end of the story, 45% of the gas burnt in our homes is attributed to generating hot water so there are energy savings too. Also, lets not forget that 20% of California’s energy consumption is attributed to cleaning, pumping, moving water so saving water reduces carbon emissions!

I have installed an Evolve shower head in my own shower. The ultra-low flow 1.59 GPM experience (as opposed to a standard low flow showerhead at 2.5GPM) is surprisingly comfortable and the pull tag feature works really well.  One thing to note, if you have a tankless water heater, if you leave it too long between the turn off of the showerhead and pulling the re-start tag, you will experience a cold “sandwich” of water in the shower as the tankless water heater re-starts.

I have been using the Evolve for several months and recommend it to everyone who would like to reduce their water and energy consumption.

For information on water and energy saving ideas, call us at  510-540-0837

Water Use Audit – Saving Our Most Valuable Resource

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Today 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. 1.8 million people will die this year because of waterborne disease.

Water conservation is, arguably, the most important aspect of the “green plumbing” movement. In our area of the world, we open a faucet and bottle quality water flows out in a seemingly endless supply. Unfortunately, it is not endless, it is a limited resource and we use it to flush our toilets!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 20% of California’s energy use is consumed in the treatment and moving of potable water,  saving water is saving energy.

There are many ways to conserve water in the home.  A simple home use water audit can indicate many areas where water use can be reduced. Continue reading →