Water Efficiency Per National Association of Home Builders

I am a member of the Home Builders Association which means I am also a member of the National Association. So I have a copy of the National Green Home Building Guidelines. It is very interesting to see the point values given to specific "green" building techniques, methods and products.

Since I am the owner of Arid Solutions Inc.com, I of course went right to the Water Efficiency section. There are point values given to the different techniques, methods and products. A home can earn a Bronze, Silver or Gold level. Individual associations, in this case HBA of Central New Mexico, can change the points necessary to reach the levels. In the case of New Mexico, due to our climate, the catagory of water efficiency a Bronze level requires 30 points, Silver 40 points, Gold 50 points.

What I found to be very interesting is how valuable they view Rainwater Harvesting with gravity feed distribution. It is given 9 points for the Water Collection itself and extra credit for gravity or renewable energy source distribution. Now compare that with an Irrigation System zoned for turf and bedding areas, only 6 points. The cost associated with including these water saving products and techniques vary greatly.

So whether you are a home builder or owner you can see the value of rainwater harvesting and see how it is valued in the home building community. Think Rain! Think Recycle!
rainwater harvesting
NAHB
Green Building
Home Builders Association
New Mexico

The Cost of Saving A Few Dollars

Have you ever "made do" or purchased something a little less than ideal to save a few bucks? Of course you have, we all have. We all skimp where we think we can and splurge where it is most important to us. The problem arises when we get those two ends of our priorities mixed up. This is what happened to us...yesterday.

We bought a small house in town so we can have a city base while still keeping our mountain house. The city house needed a new toilet. My husband, being the multi-talented person he is, replaced the toilet but decided to use a certain supplied part even though it didn't seem to fit well. He had done this type of hook up before and knew a new part would cost a few bucks. Well, the poor fit leaked--big time! We ended up having to bail water out of the house! The floor is now much cleaner and we are all thankful the house was not carpeted or that the water did not make it up to the drywall.

So that couple of dollars he saved, but actually ended paying anyway to get the proper part, cost me a sore back, all of us couple hours of clean up time and he still has egg on his face.

What does this have to do with water conservation? Well, trying to save a few dollars caused us to waste water, a lot of water. And when it comes to buying anything, even rain barrels, purchasing something less than ideal will probably disappoint you either through poor performance, design, or the fact that it will irritate you whenever you go to use it. People splurge on wine, dinners, pricey coffee... items that are literally gone in an hour or less.

Some people when shopping around for a rain barrel will ask why ours are not only $99 or so like the "pepper barrels" or the blue and white industrial tanks. Well, we make an attractive, dependable product that is not the least expensive or the most expensive and you will enjoy it every time you use it...for years to come.

So next time you're in a situation that you think you can "save a few dollars" remember the true cost of saving a few dollars.
rain barrels
water conservation