For the last couple of weeks I have not posted anything. Basically, I lost momentum. Then last night I saw an article on 60 Minutes about the Maldives and how they were going to disappear under water due to climate change. My husband and I went to the Maldives about 10 years ago. It is a beautiful place. Anyway, the population of the Maldives are doing everything they can to slow global warming and it made me feel guilty that I haven’t done anything for my challenge lately, so I’m back.
I was going to do the second part of my plastic bag challenge, but that has hit the too hard basket for the time being. To make it work I need to get alternative containers to put my meat and fruit and vege and deli stuff in. Then I have to get the supermarket staff to use them…..I want to do this but I am not set up for it yet so I will have to come back to it.
So this week I am looking at my hot water system. The weather is getting cooler, and those hot showers are delicious!! Did you know that heating your hot water with an electric system can account for up to 30% (or more according to some websites) of your electricity bill. Now, I would love to install a solar hot water system and whilst the Australian government is offering great rebates to do so, my preference would be to convert all my electricity usage to solar power. So while we work out if we can afford solar power or just a solar hot water system I want to reduce the amount of electricity my hot water system uses.
After a quick look on the internet, it seems the smart thing for me to do would be to lower the temperature setting on the thermostat of the hot water system. At the moment it comes out extremely hot. Australian plumbing standard AS3500 requires stored water to be kept at a minimum 60 degrees Celsius. My thermostat was set to 70 degrees. So I have turned it down to 60.
My water heater was a simple electric system which was easy to adjust. If you wish to adjust your own water heater, you should refer to the user manual. Failing that, do some research on the internet as it varies depending on whether your hot water system is electric, gas, instant heating, furnace burning etc. If in doubt seek the help of an electrician.
A good article to read is http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/ls_StorageWaterHeater.pdf.
