QUICKTIP

Should you change your shower rose?

For most people, installing a three star rated ‘water efficient shower rose’ is one of the most cost effective energy saving actions you can do. It could save you up to $70 per year. However they are generally not suitable for low pressure storage heaters or older instantaneous gas hot water.

It is the flow rate that is critical and the flow rate depends on the water pressure. If you have low water pressure, it may be desirable to check the flow rate before purchasing a new shower head. Otherwise you may find you don't get a satisfactory shower.

To do this you will need:

• a plastic bucket with litre markings on it,
• a stop watch or a watch with a second hand
• an assistant (make sure you both have non slip shoes on as there may be some splashing).

When you are both ready and taking care not to slip or splash yourself with hot water:

• About 5 seconds before the assistant starts timing, turn the hot water on full.
• When the assistant says start, hold the bucket under the shower to catch most of the water.
• After 15 seconds the assistant should say stop and you can remove the bucket from under the shower.
• Multiply the quantity of water in the bucket by 4 to get the flow rate per minute. (i.e. 1.5 litres is 6 litres per minute.)

The desired range is between 6 and 9 litres per minute. If it is more than 9 litres per minute you need a low flow (three star) shower rose.

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EDITORIAL

Should we worry about the embodied energy content of products we buy?

Embodied energy is generally defined as 'the energy used in making a product'. So should we worry about the embodied energy content of products we buy?

Yes, but...

• There is as yet no consensus on what values to assign to what product.
• The really important value is the total 'cradle to grave' energy use which includes manufacture, transport, use and disposal.
• For items you keep for a long time, like a building, the embodied energy may only be a small percentage of the energy consumption in use. (For these products it is more important to focus on the in use energy consumption.)
• different manufacturers use different processes, so steel made largely from scrap, may have a lower embodied energy than steel made from a low grade of ore which needs more refining.
• Current data is mainly restricted to the building industry, but there are many other products it would make sense to account for.
• A well designed carbon trading scheme should more effectively address the desired objective of reducing greenhouse gas production. An effective carbon trading scheme makes products with a needlessly high embodied energy more expensive, discouraging their purchase. Additionally, such a scheme means that all people take the energy content of the products they buy into account, not just those who are especially concerned with the environment.

In light of the above, I believe that embodied energy is not yet a useable tool for purcahsing decisions.

More importantly this emphasises the need to implement the 'Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme', in spite of it's faults. Of course, once it is in place we will need to agitate to make it more inclusive and allow fewer permits to increase the pressure for greenhouse gas reductions.

If you have any comments please contact us.

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PRACTICAL ENERGY SAVING

Taming your house in the cold (day to day actions)

If it is a cool day and it looks like getting cold at night then you want to maximise the sunlight into your house during the day by opening curtains and blinds. At night close the curtains and blinds to trap the heat inside. This works particularly well in brick houses and/or houses on concrete slabs. It is less effective in timber floored weatherboard houses as the house can't store the heat during the day to release it at night.

If the outside temperature does rise above the indoor temperature, open the windows to let the warmer outside air in. You will need to remember to close them before the outside temperature starts to drop (often as early as 3 p.m.), as the temperature can drop very quickly when the sun starts to get lower in the sky. If you need to ventilate the house for fresh air, try and only open outside doors and windows in the warmest part of the day (noon to 3 p.m.). Otherwise keep outside doors and windows closed unless it is warmer outside than in.

You can stop the loss of heat to unoccupied rooms by closing the doors to rooms that aren't in use.

Normally it uses less energy to cook something using the microwave or stovetop rather than an oven. However if you intend heating the room anyway, then you can get double use out of the heat you use for the oven. First of all the heat cooks the food, then it heats the room, so you can cook that yummy roast (or heat up that frozen pizza) with a clear conscience!

If you have a heater or reverse cycle air conditioner you will also need to:

• Follow any conditions specified in the quotation when you bought the heater or air conditioner.
• Follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions.
• Keep the filter clean (for an air conditioner): clean it at least once a month, more frequently if necessary.
• Keep doors to unconditioned areas (eg laundries, bathrooms etc.) closed. Note that if you have a ducted system, any doorways on the return air path will need to be kept open, which may mean that doors to an unconditioned hallway will need to be kept open.
• Set the temperature as low as possible while still achieving comfort. (See appendix.)
• For a reverse cycle air conditioner, operate the fan on auto unless advised otherwise by the contractor. (Generally auto is low speed on heating to avoid creating cold drafts.)
• Some gas heaters need to be operated on a medium or high fan speed when the heat is turned up high; otherwise the over-temperature sensor might shut down the heater.
• For a zoned ducted system, switch unoccupied zones off. In very cold weather, only switch on up to the maximum number of zones specified in the quote. If the contractor has not specified what area they have allowed for, then the heater or reverse cycle air conditioner will probably only heat the main living area on a very cold evening.

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