February 15, 2020
Simple Ways to Cut Your Hot Water Bill
Your hot water bill can be reduced by making use of some simple tricks that will permit you to consume less water and thus pay less. The first thing you need to know is that the water pipes in your home need to be in good condition and free of leaks to avoid water losses. A dripping hot water connection is literally money down the drain. It is a good idea to do a visual inspection of the piping in your basement every two years or so.
Another good way of saving on your hot water bill is to use other types of water heaters, such as a tankless water heater that heats water on demand. It will save you plenty of energy, because the water gets heated only when needed. This is in contrast to a conventional tank that works to keep the entire tank of water at a constant temperature at all times.
Some other ways of reducing the bill is to make some changes to your shower. The new models of energy efficient shower heads help to save energy and water without reducing pressure. Low flow shower heads use up to 70 per less water than normal ones. Some models provide adjustable spray jets that reduce heat loss and improve comfort. An energy efficient shower head consumes about 5 liters per minute, as opposed to a traditional one that averages about 14 liters per minute.
The reduced flow results in a reduction of water consumption, so you will save on your water bills and sewer bills. For those of you who have septic tanks and wells, it makes for less wear and tear on your pumping equipment and the number of times you will need to have your septic tank pumped out. To further reduce your water consumption, consider installing a shower head with a stop button, or a single handle faucet, which you can press to interrupt the flow. The advantage of this button is that you can interrupt the flow while you soap or shampoo, then turn it back on and rinse at the same rate and temperature as before.
A large number of shower faucets are fitted with safety devices such as valves to regulate pressure and maintain the water temperature at a constant level. In a household with small children or elderly folks, this is an essential way to keep everyone safe from burns that can result from scalding hot water.
You can also save more water and energy by taking quick showers instead of long baths. You will consume as much as 50 per less hot water depending on the shower head you use. For example, a shower of 5 minutes with a flow rate of 9.5 liters per minute, consumes approximately 47.5 liters of water while a bath, half full, requires an average of about 100 liters of water. A timer, such as an hourglass or a manual timer, can help to control and reduce the time spent in the shower. …
What Is A Design Build Contractor?
The traditional method for home remodeling included two major but separate steps. These steps are design and construction. Both of these items are very important aspects when it comes to choosing the right remodeling contractors. Exactly as it sounds, the design aspect involves the work done by an architect or other design remodeling professional that can often be found from a variety of specialized remodeling companies. The construction aspect involves the building services that are required in order to execute the plans created in the design stage fully.
In recent years, the use of a design build contractor from a remodeling company has become a very common means of getting home renovation work completed. There are many pros and some cons to using this method over the traditional method. The most obvious benefit is that only one contract is created for all the services provided by a remodeling contractor and design team. It is an efficient means of getting quality construction and design services from a remodeling company without having to shop around tediously. A lot of time can be spent trying to choose both the most qualified contractor and architect.
Another benefit of using a design build contractor is that the same home remodeler is present from start to finish. This means someone will be in charge of the house remodeling endeavor who can adequately keep all aspects of the budget, design, and engineering requirements in mind. The period for the overall home remodeling process is reduced because there is no latency period between design and execution. Money is also saved on both ends of the spectrum because estimates that are more accurate can be provided and overall costs are reduced as everything can be planned out from beginning to end.
More and more remodeling companies are beginning to employee design build contractors in order to bring in more work. The design build firm may not necessarily have a qualified remodeler to fulfill both the design and construction roles. It is common to find a certified designer or architect on staff along with a reputable remodeling contractor. The key to the entire design/build concept is that only one contract is present. As long as the contract provided to the homeowner includes all the services of both aspects of the process, it will fall into this category. Because the services are coming from a single source, there is also an easily identified target of accountability.
There is no denying that surprises can quickly appear during any major home remodeling project. The use of a design build contractor will help to reduce the likelihood of any unpleasant events. The risks to the project owners are also reduced by using a single remodeling company for both the design and construction stages.
The major flaw with using these types of qualified contractors is that there may be a slight conflict of interests. The remodeling contractor can decide on major design issues in relation to overall time restraints, profits, and costs. The process allows …