water-conservation / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Passive House design, how does it work? If you've ever sat in a car with black leather seats in the summer, particularly when wearing shorts, you already understand passive solar heat gain. It is a very simple concept that as a building technique dates back thousands of years. You simply need to find out where south is...

Composting toilets: a homeowner's & pro's guide For off-grid living, tiny houses, and sustainable residential projects, the composting toilet has evolved from a rustic necessity into a high-performance sanitation solution. For those new to composting toilets, it is hard not to conjure an image of a backwoods sort o...

Should we consider adding a bidet? Although quite popular in Africa, Asia and Europe, the bidet has been slow to gain popularity in America.  Could it be that we are just creatures of habit? Does the idea of a jet of water blasting your nether regions seem a hard leap to make at first? Well, you’re probably not the on...

Home water consumption in Canada: On average, Canadians use over 300 litres of water per person, per day. Compare this to consumption in the UK of 200 litres per day, and 150 litres per person per day in France. Hopefully, as we see the beginnings of water shortages hit closer to home, this serious issue will garnish m...

Those that live off of municipal water systems tend to be more aware of the journey their water takes before coming out of the tap. Without city water being fed into a home, there is no way to know the quality or taste that your water will offer, or what systems you will need to have in place to treat it.  Personally, ...

What is gray water? Or indeed grey water! The term 'gray water recycling' refers to all domestic waste water that is drained from sinks, showers, bathtubs and washing machines. While gray water can be reused, water from kitchen sinks or dishwashers is generally not recycled as it contains substantial amounts of grease ...

Hydroelectric power generation is definitely renewable but not always 'green' when you consider all the side effects, especially when it comes to large hydroelectric dams. In the quest to find alternative power sources to replace fossil fuels, the energy that can be harnessed from moving water is leading to some impres...

The best tips to save money and reduce bills? First of all, the best way to reduce bills & save money is to spend as little as possible for the maximum return, as not everyone who wants to be 'green' has a wad of bills they can throw at the latest and greatest renewable technologies for sustainable homes. So where ...

Permeable pavers or paving stones are best for driveways and paths Gaining an understanding of the importance of stormwater management may steer you towards a design and product choice in interlocking paver stones, which will help you retain and manage stormwater that falls within your property.  When patios and drivew...

Tankless water heaters , on demand water heaters and  instantaneous water heaters are different names for the same thing - domestic hot water systems that do not include the storage tank that comes with traditional water heaters.  This type of water heating system can be advantageous in some climates, provided they use...

What is a solar thermal collector? A photovoltaic (PV) solar collector converts solar radiation into electricity, but a solar thermal collector is much simpler than that. It refers to a device that collects heat directly from solar radiation. That can be as simple and rudimentary as water being pumped through a black t...