Go Green: a special advertising section of tHe BerMUda sUn 1

GOGreena special advertising section of tHe BerMUda sUn • octoBer 24, 2012

Up to 10% of your potable water is lost through wastage.

With the RedWateR diveRteR valve you can

save up to 8,000 gallons of wasted water

every year!

WHat iS a RedWateR diveRteR valve?

A valve that saves the cool water that runs down the drain while waiting for hot water to arrive, and sends it to:

• awaterstoragetankor• agardenor• apool

Unlike similar products available, the RedWateRtM diveRteR• usesnoelectricaldevicesintheformofpumps,elements,solenoidsortimers,

sonoongoingenergycharges-onlyoperateswhenyouuseyourtap.

• obtainsnear100%waterrecovery• issuitableforretrofitandnewinstallation• onceinstalleddoesnotrequireyoutotakeactionbeforeusingthehottaptooperate

• complementsotherwatersavingproductsandsystems• candecreaseyourhotwaterdeliverytimes

The RedwATeRTM diveRTeR valvehasbeendesigned with the interests of energy

efficiency,andasustainableenvironment.

Call today to start saving water!

(441)333-1980

www.save-water.com

Australian water saver arrives in BermudaBy AmAndA dAleadale@bermudasun.bm

This little gadget could save you hundreds of dol-lars a year in water costs.

The Redwater Diverter is a compact, small mechani-cal valve which saves the initial cool water from a hot water tap and redirects it to a storage tank.

Instead of the cold ‘red-water’ being wasted down the drain it can be put to good use in the home or garden.

The water-saving device arrived in Bermuda last month and is already being installed in homes across the island.

It costs $195 plus the costs of installation through a plumber, but can pay for itself within the year.

It is estimated the Redwater Diverter could save you a tenth of your potable water supply each year.

Using Government sta-tistics on occupancy and water usage, the average home in Bermuda, with three to four occupants, could save up to 8,000 US gallons of water.

This is based on an aver-age usage of 55 gallons per person per day and waste water of 10 per cent.

If a truckload of water is 1,000 gallons, at $80 each delivery, that could save you $640 in water costs.

In every hot water tap, it

takes time for the water to travel from the hot water system through the pipes.

Initially, cold ‘redwater’ runs out of the tap until the hot water arrives.

The Redwater Diverter saves this cold water from running down the drain and instead diverts it through a return line, to a separate area.

ConservationThis could be a water

storage tank, swimming pool, garden or irrigation system, a toilet cistern or laundry area.

It can be installed upstream from any fix-ture where hot water is required.

“The optimum choice is to divert the redwater back to your potable water tank, but you could even divert it to an outside hose to water your garden or fill your pool,” said distributor Angus MacDonald.

Mr MacDonald, owner of commercial facility management and mainte-nance company FTMS Ltd, became aware of the device when he was renovating his house.

He is now selling it on the island through Island Engineering, BAC (Bermuda Air Conditioning), Sticks and Stones, and ClearWater Systems.

“I introduced it to the island about a month ago,” he said.

“Quite a lot of people are interested so far. I’ve installed one at my house and another couple of homeowners have installed them. They’re all quite happy with it.

“Bermudians don’t like wasting water, particularly as they might have to buy it, so they try to conserve it.

“This device diverts n Photo suPPlied

versatile: TheRedwaterDiverterisnowavailableinBermudafor$195.

Fitting the Redwater Diverter ‘down under’ a sink could save you $600 a year

See diverter, page 3

‘This device diverts the water out at full-flow and stops it from going down the drain where it is wasted.’

angUs MacdonaldRedwater Diverter distributor

Go Green: a special advertising section of tHe BerMUda sUn 3

the water out at full-flow and stops it from going down the drain where it is wasted.

“Greenrock research has shown that the aver-age water purchase per person in Bermuda is 6-8,000 gallons a year, which is pretty much what this will save you. So you could possibly stop having to buy water.

“It also guarantees you will have a bulk supply.”

Mr MacDonald said: “This is new to Bermuda but is an older product that has been around for a while.

“It’s all about water conservation, but there are other benefits.

Droughts“It started in Australia

in 2006. They developed it because of the droughts and the water shortages over there.

“In North America it’s not really known because everything is either well water or city water. For this device you really need a storage tank.

“In Australia, people have 2-3,000 gallon tanks outside to gather their rainwater.

“That’s why this device works well in the Bermuda market, because everyone has water tanks.”

Regarding the instal-lation costs, he said: “Every home is different so it depends on how each house is set up.

“You may want to install one or multiple devices.”

The Redwater Diverter can service a single tap, such as your kitchen

sink, or multiple fixtures close together, such as the shower, sink and tub in your bathroom.

A plumber is needed to install each device and return line, but the aver-age installation time for the valve is one hour.

The cost of materials and labour will depend on the length of pipe required for the return line but this can be PEX or PVC, which is easy to install.

The gadget can be installed in a cupboard below a tap for optimum water savings or under the floor, in the ceiling or in service ducts, if it is a commercial setting.

After installation you just use your hot tap nor-mally.

The brass device doesn’t need any wires or electricity and is compat-ible with all tap ware.

As it is mechanical there are no ongoing energy charges to oper-ate it.

It can be retro-fitted in existing plumbing or installed in new construc-tion.

To see how much water you could save, let the hot water pipes in your home cool overnight and then use a bucket to catch the initial cold water in the hot taps in the morning.

Turn off the tap as soon as the hot water arrives and measure how much water is in the bucket. Then use a water savings calculator to determine the savings you could make. n

For more information see http://save-water.com. Contact Angus MacDonald, call 333-1980 or e-mail info@save-water.com.

DiverterContinued from page 1 The roll out of eco-friendly carpets

By Angie HicksAngieslist.com(MCT)

Carpet has long had a big, bad environmental footprint, with petroleum and fossil fuels used in its production and an estimat-ed five billion pounds of carpet and carpet padding ending up each year in US landfills.

Slowly though, carpet manufacturers and install-ers have taken measures to reduce its negative impact on the environment through improved produc-tion and installation tech-niques, and an emphasis on reclaiming and recy-cling old carpet.

trendConsumers are taking

notice and are beginning to embrace the trend by asking about and purchas-ing more environmentally-friendly carpeting.

“It seems like every year we get more people asking for environmen-tally friendly products,” said Steve Huddleston of Color Visions Flooring in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Definitely people are more mindful of that, but more than anything else, I think they see (the ben-efits) as an added bonus that helps them make their mind up when they pur-chase it.”

Mr Huddleston said his top-selling carpet is made with a renewably-sourced polymer that is made in part from corn oil and requires about one-third less energy to produce than nylon carpet. It typi-cally costs as much as a

high-end nylon carpet, he said.

“It’s a very good product. They don’t have to use oil out of the ground to make it. The material itself is also recyclable.

“It’s not the cheapest car-pet in the store, but it’s our top-seller. It has an excel-lent warranty for one thing and it’s super soft.

“A lot of people shy away from things if they’re environmentally-friendly, because they think there has to be a catch.

“There’s no catch with this. They’re not sacrific-ing anything for it to be environmentally-friendly.”

Another popular carpet type is a polyester fabric made from recycled plastic drink bottles.

Though polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plas-tics have been used for several years to make carpets, technology contin-ues to improve the carpet

type’s resistance to stain, durability and fading from sunlight.

PET carpet typically costs about 20 to 30 per cent less than nylon, said Brent Weaver of Weaver Carpets Inc. in Lakewood, Colorado.

“Instead of throwing all that stuff in landfills, they’re taking that stuff out and melting it down to pellets; then they take the pellets and make car-pet fibre out of that,” Mr Weaver said.

“I think it’s evolving. They’re making more and more.

“One of my largest wool manufacturers just came out with a polyester-based carpet. They’re making a lot of improvements to it.”

Mr Weaver said he’s seen an increase in manu-facturers reducing their global footprint through their production tech-niques.

“(A mill in California) actually reclaims their own water, produces their own electricity and recy-cles all their scrap carpet in the mill,” he said.

“(Another) is recycling out of landfills millions and millions of pounds of nylon carpet. They’re either recycling it back into carpet or back into a pad.”

Chemical-free wool and carpet made from sea-grass, sisal and hemp are other natural, eco-friendly options.

Consumers interested in purchasing an eco-friendly carpet should research the manufacturer’s production methods.

Check that all environ-mental claims are certified in writing.

The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) offers a ‘Green Label’ designa-tion on carpets that have low emissions of vola-tile organic compounds (VOCs).

Recently, CRI launched a ‘Green Label Plus’, which sets higher indoor air qual-ity standards for carpets and adhesives.

Talk to your retailer and installer about what options they offer for eco-friendly carpet, padding and adhesives. n

Angie Hicks is the founder of Angie’s List, http://www.angieslist.com/, which collects local consumer reviews on every-thing from home repair to healthcare to help consum-ers make smart hiring deci-sions.

n creative commons Photo

choice: Traditionalswatchesoftuftedcarpet.Todayconsumershavemorerecycledandnaturaloptions.

10 EASY STEPS

to save energyand moneyFollow these 10 simple steps and you’ll save energy and money.

Energy efficiency is key if we want to maintain a secure energy

supply for the future, as well as minimise our global dependence

on fossil fuels. Even small changes in energy usage can cause

significant change. Best of all, your bills will be reduced. Formore information visit www.belco.bm

Look after yourfridge & freezer.Set your fridge to only as cold as

you need. Fridges with an Energy Star

label could save you much on energy

costs. Always use the energy-saver

setting. Also, defrost your freezer

when it collects more than a one-

eighth of an inch of ice.

5

3

1

Use your microwavefor cooking.Microwave ovens cook foodfaster and require a lot lessenergy. They also produce less heat

in your kitchen, which also means

less energy needed for cooling.

Turn the lights offwhen you don’t use them.Why pay for electricity when you don’t haveto? The average Bermudian household wastes

money every year on lighting empty rooms. If you

leave the room, turn the lights off. Also, before

you go to bed, make sure no lights are left on.

When you turn thingsoff, turn things off.Even when your appliances areturned off, they use energy. That’s

because a constant trickle of electricity

is needed to keep them on standby.

These “phantom loads” quickly add up.

Some can use up to 30% energy while

being on standby. When it’s unplugged, 0%.

Set your water heater to 120°F.Use hot water wisely.Lowering the temperature

just a few degrees can save

a huge amount of energy.

Set your water heater at 120°

Fahrenheit. It’s hot enough

for your dishwasher, washing

machine and showers.

Don’t air conditionmore than necessary.Air conditioning is the most expensive part of theaverage energy bill. Make sure your new air-conditioner

is energy efficient. Clean your air filter regularly to increase

performance. It prolongs the life of your equipment too.

Use CFLs and LEDs.The biggest electricity saver in yourhouse could be a lightbulb. Switching

from old-fashioned incandescent bulbs to

compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) or

light emitting diode (LED) bulbs can make

a big difference in you electricity bill, and

the new bulbs last a long time.

2

6

7

10

Use yourdishwasher efficiently.Most of the energy used by your dish-

washer goes to heating the water. Use your

dishwasher only when it’s full and use the most

energy efficient setting. Remember to scrape

excess leftovers into your bin beforehand.

9

8

4Use timers.A timer can save youhundreds of dollars ayear. It can give you hot

water when you need it.

Timers can also save energy

for other items in your

house. And turn your water

heater off when you go on

holiday.

When replacing appliances,buy energy efficient ones.Efficiency is key when choosing an appliance.Energy Star appliances use less energy and save

money. Whether you’re looking for a kitchen or home

appliance, look for the Energy Star label.

BELCO Save Energy Rev 2012 BS/GG Ad 10.875 x 11 ht:Layout 1 8/20/12 4:09 PM Page 1