Check out Nelson Lebo’s opinion piece in the Wanganui Chronicle:

“In all probability, 100 per cent of all state houses in our city are “substandard”. If the current New Zealand building code minimum is “the standard”, then by definition anything not built to that level is “substandard”.

The bad news is that the NZ building code minimum standard would be considered by many nations as substandard in and of itself when it comes to warmth and energy performance. In other words, the code sets a low bar for insulation, windows and design.”

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The 9 Star Showhome being built in Christchurch is using a Spirex Energy Drain system.

The SPIREX ENERGY DRAIN is simply installed in a shower waste pipe and transfers the heat from the waste ‘Grey’ water to the incoming mains cold water before going the shower mixer.

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Next time you’re faced with the question “Why should I bother with saving water?”… here’s why…

NASA research has found 21 of the world’s 37 largest aquifers – in locations from India and China to the United States and France – have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water is being removed than replaced from these vital underground reservoirs.

“The water table is dropping all over the world,” senior water scientist Jay Famiglietti said. “There’s not an infinite supply of water.”  He hoped the findings would spur discussion and further research into how much groundwater is left.”We need to get our heads together on how we manage groundwater,” he said, “because we’re running out of it.”

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Despite 50 million US homes now having a smart meter, about 43% of the total number of households, the expected changes in behaviour and energy savings haven’t quite yet blown anyone away.

This article says smart meters are a foundation block to get us to the next level, but they need to speak a language that the average person can understand, and convey the information in such a way that energy isn’t just an afterthought.

It also suggests making the feedback real-time. If you clearly see on a monitor in your living room that you’re spending X number of dollars per hour right now, and then turn off a few lights and lower the A/C and see that number drop, you get powerful feedback that immediately rewards you and encourages you to pick up good habits. This doesn’t happen when you only get a bill weeks later.

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