Tlou Mpai

March 23 – Turn Down the Heater

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“It serves as fuel for man. He takes some of it and warms himself; also he kindles a fire and bakes bread.” ~ Isaiah 44:15   There is nothing like taking a hot shower to wash away the worries of our day. But too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing. Water heating accounts for 15 to 25% of energy consumption in the average home. For every 10 degrees you turn down your water heater, you’ll save 3% to 5% on your bill. Most water heaters come pre-set at 140 degrees, which has the added risk of scalding. It is recommended that households lower it to 120 degrees. This amount is high enough for your needs, and high enough to reduce mineral buildup in your tank and pipes. A fridge/freeze is an appliance one uses on a daily basis and it is normally kept on 24/7. Fridges form part of our energy consumption.  Refrigerators and freezers should not be set too cold. It is recommended to set your fridge between 4-5°C  and the freezer to -18°C  .If you set fridge or freezer 1°C  colder, it increase your energy consumption by 5 to 10% and therefore increase your electric bill. Steps to turn down water heater: Find the current temperature- use a thermostat to measure the temperature your water is at now. At the tap furthest from the water. Mark the setting- to remember this setting, mark that temperature on your thermostat. Now turn down the thermostat to what you think will be 120 degrees, based on your earlier measurement. Wait at least 2 hours. Measure the water temperature again at the same far-away tap. It may take a few attempts to get it right. Once it’s right, mark that spot on your thermostat so you’ll remember the new temperature. How to turn up the fridge using a thermostat: To check your refrigerator’s temperature, set a thermostat in a glass of water in the center of the appliance. Read the thermostat after 24 hours. For a freezer, place a thermostat in between packages. Again, read the thermostat after 24 hours. More links https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/home-maintenance-tips/water-heater-energy-saving-tips/ https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/services/do-it-yourself-energy-savings-projects/savings-project-lower-water-heating https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-save-money-on-refrigeration-2941167 http://blog.etundra.com/tech-talk/refrigeration-thermostatscold-controls-work/

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March 20 – Do Not Use the Hosepipe

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“Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set time” Ezequiel 4 : 11 #HoseAintLoyal #WaterSaver Hosepipes can be seen as an easy to use equipment in our everyday watering lives, from gardening, washing cars etc. They give convenience and take away the load of having to carry buckets however they have far greater disadvantages as compared to their advantages. Thousands of litres of water are lost and wasted through using hose pipes daily. Hosepipes use 540 litres of water an hour, about as much as a family of four would use in a day.  Instead of using hosepipes people need to look into using other methods to do activities such as; washing cars, gardening and cleaning pavements. This will prevent water waste/loss and will give the same aesthetic results as using a hosepipe Things you can do: Use a bucket for washing cars, pavements etc Use grey water to water garden Use a watering can instead of a hose as it uses a fraction of the water supply.

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March 19 – Wash Full Loads

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“And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.” ~ Leviticus 14:8 #fillItUp “The fuller, the better” One of the major water uses in households is laundry. 15-20% of water is consumed by laundry. There are various ways in which we can reduce water usage when it comes to laundry. The extra benefit from saving water is that you will save money as well; especially if you purchase water from a municipality. Things to do: Washing a full load of laundry is the most water-efficient choice. It takes as much energy and water to wash a full load as it does a half load, unless the machine has special sensors or half-load setting options. And most of us only load our washers to half-full, so break out the bathroom scales to see just how much your washer can actually handle – you may be quite surprised. If you only have a few items to clean, take time to adjust the settings to the smallest capacity possible. Selecting the right cycle for each load will save water and improve your cleaning results. Skip the extra rinse cycle on your washer. If you are using the correct amount of detergent and loading the washer properly, you don’t need it. Pre-soak or pre-treat heavily soiled items. That way you won’t have to wash them twice. If your machine has energy-saving features, use them. These can include a ‘fast wash’ program for lightly soiled clothes or water-saving programs. The nitty gritty: Front loaders use less water than top loaders Automatic load-sensing or reduced-load functions can help save water Reuse the wash and/or last rinse water on your garden Check the water-efficiency label, which is a guide to how efficiently different models use water, and If you use a greywater system to recycle water for use in your garden, make sure you use a garden-safe laundry detergent.

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March 18 – Save & Use Grey Water

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” 1Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east. 2 He looked, and saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for from that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well.” ~ Genesis 29: 1 – 10 Go grey for a greener world / “Grey is the new blue” Every day we flush hundreds of litres of reusable grey water down the drain.  Using grey will enable you to save potable water and be part of the sustainable water use lifestyle. So what is grey water??? Grey water is water that has been used for washing – whether from the bath, shower, basin or washing machine. Grey water can be used to water household plants, gardening, landscaping and flushing the toilet. The easiest way to use grey water is to manually use a bucket to remove water from the shower or bath Guidelines for using grey water: Never store grey water for longer than 24 hours. Choose biodegradable and environmentally friendly personal hygiene and cleaning products (those used to clean the bath and basin) to prevent a build-up of salts in the soil. Never reuse water from your kitchen sink or dishwasher. If you wash cloth baby nappies in your washing machine, divert the water to the sewer. You should also do this when using chemicals like hair dye or bleach and if someone in the household is sick. Allow grey water to cool in the tank before irrigating the garden. Hot water can kill off beneficial organisms in the soil. Never allow anyone in your home, including pets, to drink grey water. Grey water shouldn’t be allowed to pool on or run off paving – make sure it soaks directly into the soil. Don’t overwater plants just because you have the water. If there has been a lot of rain, divert the grey water to the sewer. Don’t mix grey water with any harvested rainwater.

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March 17 – Fix and Report Water Leaks

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“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” ~ Jeremiah 2 :13 “A drop a day, wastes the water away” / “Don’t be a LEAK in the pipeline” According to World Wildlife Fund South Africa’s report 2016: 37% of water in our urban piped water systems leaks out or is used illegally. That is more than a third of the country’s water going to waste. That is a rather alerting number and something definitely needs to be done about it. Finding and fixing leaks is an essential part of reducing water wastage in our homes, businesses, sports clubs, schools, places of worship, and everywhere else in our communities What can you do? Implement smart metering to give alerts when leaks occur. Track water usage using an app and set water usage targets. Shower instead of bath. Compile a list of plumbers and municipal numbers for repairs Report water leaks How to check for a leak at home: Stop all water use. Close all taps on the property and don’t flush toilets. Check and record your meter reading. Wait 15 minutes and take another reading. Make sure nobody has opened a tap or flushed a toilet since you first noted the meter reading. If there is a difference, you have a leak to fix. As per the City’s Water By-law you need to take action quickly. If you know how to fix a leak, fix it yourself or call a plumber to help Always report leaks in your local municipality. Here is a link for contact details to report leaks: https://m-net.dstv.com/show/carte-blanche/news/report-water-leaks/news

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