Eco friendly Technologies
Rainwater harvesting technology
Harvested rainwater can provide a source of alternative water to federal facilities. Alternative waters are sustainable sources of water, not supplied from fresh surface water or groundwater, that offset the demand for freshwater. Rainwater harvesting captures, diverts, and stores rainwater from rooftops for later use. Typical uses of rainwater include landscape irrigation, wash applications, ornamental pond and fountain filling, cooling tower make-up water, and toilet and urinal flushing. With additional filtration and disinfection, harvested rainwater can also be treated to potable standards to supplement municipal potable water supplies to facilities.
System Components The major components of a rainwater harvesting system are as follows:
- Collection system: Roof surface and gutters to capture the rainwater and send it to the storage system
- Inlet filter: Screen filter to catch large debris
- First flush diverter: Diverter that removes debris not captured by the inlet filter from the initial stream of rainwater
- Storage tank: Storage tanks composed of food-grade polyester resin material which is green in color and helps to reduce bacterial growth
- Overflow: Drainage spout that allows for overflow if the storage tank gets full
- Controls: Control system that monitors water level and filtration system
- Treatment system: Filtration and disinfection system that treats the water to non-potable or potable standards
- Pump: Pump to move water through the system to where it will be used
- Backflow prevention: Backflow preventer to ensure that under negative pressure water cannot flow backwards through the system into the make-up water system
- Flow meter: Flow meter (with data logger) to measure water production
- Power supply: Systems may use either conventional power sources or, to improve off-grid capabilities, alternative sources such as stand-alone or grid-tied solar systems
- Water level indicator: Monitors the water level in the storage tank
Energy monitor technology
Home energy monitor is a small hand-held or table-top device with a screen that shows you how much electricity you’re using in your home – some models also allow you to receive the information on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop.
Your energy monitor should show you how much energy you’re using, how much it costs, and the level of your greenhouse gas emissions. The best energy monitors let you walk round your house switching items on and off, to see how much energy each electrical device or appliance uses. It can also show you how much your energy is costing you, and how much you’re saving once you start using your energy more efficiently. Some models allow you to set daily electricity use targets or have alarms to let you know when you’ve reached a certain level of use.
Once you’ve installed your home energy monitor, it’s fun to try it out at once. Go round your home and switch off everything you can – though probably not the fridge and freezer. Then walk around each room holding your energy monitor, and switch things back on as you go. If your model has a battery-powered hand-held unit, you can walk around freely. If it only works off the mains, you’ll need to plug it in and unplug it as you move from room to room. You’ll see the monitor reading increase when you switch on a new appliance. Some models will transmit this information in a couple of seconds, others may take up to 12 seconds, so make sure you wait long enough.
Double pane windows
A double-pane window is a window that has two panes of glass set into each individual frame. The two glass panes have a small space between them, creating an air pocket made to better insulate your home. This air pocket prevents the temperature of the air outside your home from affecting the temperature of the air inside your home. The space between the the two panes also has a desiccant designed to prevent condensation from forming.
While condensation on a window may seem like a small matter of annoyance, it is actually a sign of a much larger issue. When cold temperatures enter your home via single panes, it creates an inefficient heat transfer in your home.Insulating your house reduces the loss of energy by about 10%. Your local handyman can seal the doors and windows in your home, making it more energy-efficient,thereby saving you money.
Eco Computers
More eco award-winners in the computing category include the HP Pavilion, which boasts a mercury-free screen, and the Sony Vaio W Series notebook, with a plastic chassis made partly of recycled CDs and a carrying case made from old soda bottles. Better yet, Apple’s iPad 2 is ecoand energy-efficient with a 10-hour battery, casing made from recyclable aluminium and glass, and a display that’s made without arsenic, mercury, bromine, and polyvinyl chloride—all toxic chemicals found in other computing products.
Dual Flush Toilets
Dual flush toilets handle solid and liquid waste differently from standard American style toilets, giving the user a choice of flushes. It’s an interactive toilet design that helps conserve water that has caught on quickly in countries where water is in short supply.