Have you ever been to freecycle.org? If so, good for you! If not, then you need to. I learned of Freecycle from my girlfriend. She is always on Freecycle finding stuff or getting rid of stuff.

Just what is Freecycle? Freecycle is a Network that is made up of 4,751 groups with 6,757,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Plus membership is free.

I always fall back to that old saying when telling people about Freecycle “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”. We used it the other day when we were cleaning the garage and found these little, old Christmas tree penguin ornaments. We threw them on Freecycle and a day later a lady came by and picked them up off our front porch. What’s neat is you don’t even have to meet the person; you just make an email arrangement and leave the goods on your porch. The cool part is that the penguins didn’t go into the landfill, and somebody didn’t have to go buy new penguins, plus they got them for free! The lady wrote an email a couple of days later telling us she loved the ornaments. Cool huh?
So, now you probably want to go check it out. All you really need to get started is a Yahoo account. If you have a yahoo email account that will work too.  Freecycle listings are through Yahoo Groups. Once you get your Yahoo account situated, go to http://www.freecycle.org, click on browse groups and select your state and city. Next click “Visit Group Page”, then join the group. At this point the Freecycle group will be added to your Yahoo Groups list. This particular group requires a membership approval; it’s nothing bad, they do this to keep the spammers out. Upon approval, you are ready to give and get. Have fun with Freecycle, and remember before you toss your “junk”, Freecycle it.

The Bakersfield Freecycle group now has over 3300 members who are helping keep thousands of pounds of “stuff” out of landfills each year. Click the link below to get directly to the Bakersfield Freecycle group
http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/California/Bakersfield

-Kynan Chambers
www.savebakersfield.com

When dealing with heated water, one has to remember that there are three costs associated with this commodity. (1) You pay for the water. (2) You pay to heat the water. (3) You pay a sewer fee to discard the waste water.

So, the next time you are standing in the shower thinking, remember the water and gas meter are clicking away. Want another energy and water saving solution? Use your bathing towel more than once. Hang it up to dry and use it again. If you shower every day and use your towel twice, you will cut back your laundry chores by 182 towels per year vs. the old method of new towel every shower! Your mom, wife or person in charge of washing all those towels, will thank you. The 5 minute shower, give it a try.

Jeff Williams

Greening Bakersfield

Task: Find modern water saving toilets, dual flush or not
Notes: Must be WaterSense approved and ADA approved

The contenders:
American Standard
Kohler
Cheviot
Duvarit
Toto
Caroma

One of the many hours of research was to determine whether I should get a single flush toilet with a flush of 1.28 gpf or dual flush toilet with a fush of 1.6/0.8 gpf. According to research you will save 25% more water by using a dual flush toilet then a WaterSense single flush, even though the water use is less on the single flushers. I’m guessing that this is based on people using #1 much more often than #2.

(Click Read More to Continue)

Another obstacle was aesthetics.  I found that American Standard and Kohler were lacking modern looking toilets. Most of their toilets are more of a Gothic or Victorian style. For my new office I needed something fresh and new. These two companies seem to be the most common toilet manufactures.

Cheviot seemed to make nice products and did have a dual flush however, they did not really seem to have a green focus. They didn’t mention WaterSense or even have many low flow toilets. Moving on….

Daravit made very nice toilets and really had a modern touch however, their website was very hard to navigate and they didn’t seem to put much focus on low flow toilets. Daravit had no WaterSense seals and the price range for their products seemed a bit high for my low flow budget.

Toto had a very nice selection of WaterSense toilets. However, only has 3 dual flush toilets and I didnt much care for the designs. Totos website was extremely easy to navigate and very professional.

This brings us to Caroma, a company that is based in Australia, and has been making dual flush toilets for nearly 15 years!  Immediately I was impressed with Caromas dedication to water conservation. Even their slogan was cool “Conservation with Style”. I was extremely excited to find out that they made a 1.28/0.8 gpf, but there was one drawback, and that was that they didn’t come in the one piece modern style I wanted. Realizing that it was 1.28/0.8 gpf, I decided water saving was more important than the modern look. Plus, the 1.28’s do look nice and modern, just not “ultra modern”. There was one concern though, could a 1.28 gallon per flush get large amounts of solid waste down the drain? Will it be strong enough for a commercial environment? I found the answer to be yes. I made a call to Caroma and talked to an extremely helpful and friendly toilet expert who assured me I would have no issues with my new toilet. She stated that all the Caroma toilets have a 4 inch trap that makes their toilets virtually unblockable!  Another question I asked was, just how much water I am saving? The answer was 18,000 gallons per year based on 1:4 solid/ liquid usage using a 3.5 gal toilet for an average family of four and 5 flushes/person/day. With 5 people in our office and customers I will be saving even more water.

So, after all was said and done, I settled on the Coroma Sydney Smart 270 Easy Height Elongated. I can’t wait till they come in and I take my first 1.28 flush.

If you want a great eco toilet please take some time and visit www.caromausa.com .

-Kynan Chambers
www.greenerbakersfield.com
www.ecobakersfield.com

Did you know a common AA rechargeable battery can be recharged 1000 times? With today’s technologies both chargers and batteries have come a long way in extending battery life and capacity. Suppose that you find a great buy on good quality AA disposable batteries at $0.45 a battery. 1000 disposable batteries will cost $450.00 and you will be responsible for responsible disposal. High quality rechargeable AA batteries may cost $2.00 each and there is a chance you could leave them in your will.

Now more than ever, it is possible to buy rechargeable batteries and chargers in common places such as drug or hardware stores. So, do yourself a favor and make a small investment for your family and the planet. Make a change and pick up a charger and rechargeable batteries.

Jeff Williams
Greener Bakersfield

Here is the trailer: http://www.climatecrisis.net/trailer/

Brief Summary:
Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Mr. Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change.  A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way.  “Al Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message,” said Guggenheim.  An Inconvenient Truth is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share.  “It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely,” said Gore.

-Kynan Chambers
www.greenbakersfield.com
www.savebakersfield.com

Words by  Anne Leonard: What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Click here to go to Annes Site and watch THE STORY OF STUFF

-Kynan Chambers
www.savebakersfield.com

The kWh consumption is easy to figure out (Amps x Volts = Watts and remember 1000 watts = 1 kWh), but the cost can range from as cheap as $0.115 or as expensive as $0.410 per kWh depending on your overall home energy consumption and were you fall in PG&E’s 5 tier pricing schedule. Some Bakersfield residents, running a single speed pump, pay more than $350 per month for their swimming pool pump electricity while others frugally only pay $48 per month. I pay $11 per month.

A standard single speed 2hp pool pump motor running 6 hours a day drawing 19.4 amps at 120 volts will consume about 14 kWh. Here’s the math: 19.4 x 120 = 2328 watts. 6 hours x 2328 = 13,968 watts. Convert watts to kWh by dividing total watts by 1000 for a total of 13.96 kWh per day or 418 kWh per month. In the event you operate your pump 12 hours a day and your energy consumption is high enough to enter PG&E’s fifth tier, your cost could be near $342 per month. (Click Read More to Continue)

The Pentair Intelliflo variable frequency pool pump motor I installed at my home runs 20 hours a day and consumes 120 watts an hour for a total of 2.4 kWh a day or 72 kWh per month. My old single speed pump would consume 72 kWh in 5 days! The Intelliflo is an eco smart pool pump that knows the status of your filter and when it requires back washing. This unit is smart and realizes when there is blockage or priming issues and will take corrective actions to ensure optimal performance. The pump has four different modes; filter, vacuum, back wash and manual. Water features can be programmed as well. Here is a link for more info: http://www.pentairpool.com/intelliflo/pdf/IntelliFlo.pdf

With a price tag of $1400, the Pentair Variable frequency pool pump is not cheap, but in most cases will pay for itself in under a year. Over a five year period, you could see a $7000 savings on your electric bill vs. the old single speed model.

-Jeff Williams
www.greenerbakersfield.com

Green Bakersfield
Eco Bakersfield

A recent trip to Monterey really opened my eyes. I was extremely impressed with how actively green it is. I saw so many things that just “wowed” me. It seemed like the people of Monterey were working together as a team. One of the main things I noticed was that nearly everybody was walking around with reusable water bottles, all sizes, shapes, and colors. This is a fantastic concept.  People actually using refillable water bottles rather than plastic ones! I even saw a number of walking folks carrying ceramic coffee cups. I would have to say that I was most impressed by the shoppers.  It seemed like atleast 60% of the folks were using reusable shopping bags, and not plastic. A lot of the Monterey businesses were proud to show memberships to different green organizations by sporting stickers on their doors and plaques on their walls.  Beyond that, I have never seen so many Priuses in my life. It seemed like every other car was some sort of hybrid.  All in all Monterey just had a green feeling. It made me feel better inside. It gave me some hope that my hometown of Bakersfield can do it too. But then I had to return home and be reminded of just how far behind we are. (Click Read More to Continue)

How far behind are we? In my estimation I would say 5 years.  People always say “you know Bakersfield is 5 years behind the rest of the world” Well, it’s true. WE ARE, especially when it comes to caring for our community and environment. When I go shopping, it’s amazing that every person I see is carrying a plastic bag full of groceries. Reusable grocery bags in Bakersfield must be 2 percent of all bags. How about reusable water bottles? I rarely see them. After a visit to Monterey where everybody was walking around with them, my girlfriend and I went down to Fresh and Green and bought us a pair of Klean Kanteens. We absolutely love them, no more plastic bottles for us. Here is a small green rant: Very few people use the recycle blue cans, people constantly leave their porch lights on all day (see Tims post), the roads are packed with oversized 8 to 10MPG vehicles, a majority of households and businesses I go into are still using incandescent lighting, blah, blah, blah.

As citizens of Bakersfield, we need to pull together. We all need to start doing the little things that do make a difference. Let’s make people take notice of our efforts when they come to our city. Below I have made a small list of things we can do to show we care about our future and about our city:

• Call the county or city and request a blue recycle can. Its only $48.00 per year.
• Convert at least one round-trip commute (to school or work) a week to carpool or transit/bike/walk.
• Replace all incandescent and halogen bulbs with compact fluorescents and turn off unused lights.
• Turn down the thermostat 3 degrees during the heating season.
• Upgrade your showerhead to a water-saving one and keep showers below five minutes.
• Pick up some reusable shopping bags and use them everywhere!
• Use cold water when doing your laundry.
• Get a reusuable water bottle and a reusable coffee cup, no more plastic bottles.
• Plug all your electronics into power strips and turn them off when not in use.
• Keep your auto tires fully inflated.
• Replace your old refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR model

-Kynan Chambers
www.greenerbakersfield.com
www.savebakersfield.com

I introduced him to PG&E’s online SmartMeter account information to help monitor current consumption and review past usage.  I explained to him that PG&E rewards its residential customers with lower rates for lower consumption. PG&E’s billing is set up on a 5 tier system. Here is a snapshot of the winter rates for each tier for the Bakersfield area: (Click Read More to Continue)

(1) Baseline Usage 11.4 kWh per day $0.11536

(2) 101-130% of baseline $0.13115
(3) 131-200% of baseline $0.24711
(4) 201-300% of baseline $0.35432
(5) Over 300% of baseline $0.41049

Take a look at tier (1) $0.11536 and tier (5) $0.41049 pricing. There is a $0.295 difference! My friend’s Jan/Feb usage was 1656 kWh or 51.8 kWh per day. As you can see on the bill below, the first 729 kWh cost $119.53 and the remanding 926 kWh cost $359.78. One of the keys to cutting the overall cost is eliminating or reducing kWh usage in tier (4) and (5). Just cutting consumption by 561 kWh from this bill would deduct $230.53. 

Take note of this year vs last year’s usage comparison on the bill. We were able to cut 14 kWh per day with the small changes. If usage was the same as last year, the bill would have an additional $184 added to it for a total bill of $663.

On the bill above, the average price per kWh is found by dividing total price by total kWh used.  In this case the price is $0.298 per kWh($479/1656).

The kWh baseline is adjusted for summer and winter usage and is different for other parts of California based on environmental weather conditions. For example, Bakersfield’s summer baseline is 19.4 kWh per day and Santa Cruz’s baseline is 8.3 kWh.

For more information on baseline usage visit PG&E’s website: http://www.pge.com/myhome/customerservice/financialassistance/medicalbaseline/understand/index.shtml

Jeff Williams

www.greenerbakersfield.com

www.savebakersfield.com

Since my home was upgraded with a SmartMeter, I monitor my energy usage online. I use the PG&E website as a tool to understand my kWh draw and as a feedback source after changing appliances or usage habits. There was a time in the past when I took multiple daily reading from my old PG&E dial meter to determine usage, but now I can log into my account and determine my usage from anywhere in the world.

As you can see below, the Smart Meter usage information is compiled on a daily basis and can be graphed in monthly, weekly or daily scenarios for both gas and electric. As an added bonus your kWh usage can be graphed hourly. (Click Read More to Continue)

PG&E’s website is user friendly and has a wealth of information on reducing energy consumption as well as rebates for energy saving appliances. Are you ready to get started? If you have a PG&E SmartMeter installed, log onto PG&E’s website and establish an online account. You may have to start paperless billing, but that is good for the environment too.

Jeff Williams
www.greenerbakersfield.com

My grandfather Stan used to follow my brother and I around his house yelling, “Why are these lights on? These cost money!”  Well, needless to say, I learned that lesson early on in life and it drives me nuts to see people throwing money and resources down the toilet. If it’s yellow let it mellow!  Sorry I got side tracked.  The only redeeming factor in this energy wasting fiasco is that 8 out the 11 homes with their lights left on had CFL’s.  But, come on! Let’s do the math.  For arguments sake we will assume that the CFLs are 13 watt bulbs, and the incandescents are 40 watt bulbs. Lets also say each house has 2 lights on. (Click Read More to Continue)

40w Incandescent  x 2
24 hrs will use 1.920 KW = $.36
7 days will use 13.440 KW  = $2.55
1 month will use 57.600 KW = $10.94
1 year will use 691.200 KW = $131.32

13w Compact Flourescent x 2
24 hrs will use .624 KW = $.04
7 days will use 4.368 KW = $.83
1 month will use 18.720 KW = $3.56
1 year will use 224.640 KW = $42.68

1 KW @ $.19 average

So, these are the numbers for just two lamps left on, but, like cockroaches, for every one you see there are many more you don’t. Who knows how many lights are left on in the house! Energy conservation is not only good for our environment, but also our pocket books.  Even though the CFL’s use about a third of the energy of an incandescent lamp, it wouldn’t cost my neighbors nearly as much if they would turn off their lights during the day. If their too lazy to do that, then a solution would be to buy a fixture with a photocell.  A photocell is basically a switch that is activated by the sun (daylight-off / night-on). It’s just that simple.  So please, do yourselves a favor and go turn off that light, It’s costing YOU money.

Check back soon for my next articles- where to recycle your CFL’S here in Bakersfield and constructing a homemade solar hot water system.  Solar heated water-DUH!

-Tim  Douhan
Greener Bakersfield Contributor

It all started several months ago with an audit , a walk around the house with my clipboard and an agenda. The agenda you ask? Complete and utter bulbacide. Ok, seriously… my plan?? My plan was to replace every incandescent light bulb in my entire house. This turned out to be more of a task then I could have ever imagined. There were so many wattages, sizes, shapes, and colors of CFL’s. I mean there was warm white, soft white, full spectrum, full spectrum daylight, halogen white, and many more that I can’t remember! Then there was Kelvin, do I want 2700 Kelvin, 3500 Kelvin, maybe 4100 Kelvin, wait, wait perhaps 6500 Kelvin!?  I had no idea what kind of compact florescent to buy to replace what incandescent bulb. All I knew was I had almost 50 bulbs to replace. (Click Read More to Continue)

The easiest way for me to accomplish this was to write down the size, location, and wattage of the current halogen bulbs. I then took my list down to a local hardware store and starting sizing up compact fluorescents. I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of choices I had. There were in fact different wattages, brands, shapes, and prices. After about an hour I finally figured out what I ones I needed. It just took some serious box reading and comparing, even a bit of price comparing. At this point I returned home and started the bulb replacement effort. I found some were too bright, some were too big for the ceiling fans, and some were way to sterile looking when turned on. After playing musical bulbs, I finally completed my task. So, what were the results?

Not so fancy mathematical results:

100 Watt X 1 = 100 Watts
75 Watt X 5 = 375 Watts
60 Watt X 12 = 720 Watts
40 Watt X 14 = 560 Watts
25 Watt X 15 = 375 Watts
Total incandescent bulb wattage = 2130 Watts

11 Watt X 13 = 143 Watts
13 Watt X 18 = 234 Watts
7 Watt X 16 = 112 Watts
Total compact florescent bulb wattage = 489

A 1641 Watt difference!

I ended up paying $70.48 for the CFL army including sales tax. I also had a few spares to store away incase needed in the future

So here is the incandescent vs. CFL payback figuring 2 hours of use a day.
 
CFL will save 3.28 kWh per day and 98.40 kWh per month and 1197 kWh per year.  At an average of $.18 per kWh the lights will pay for themselves in under 4 months!  That means after the first year I will have paid for the new cfl’s and have an extra $141.68.  Not a bad investment in a bleak economy!

Now it’s time for the CFL regime to take over your home…. however…. the LED army approaches silently.

-Kynan Chambers
www.greenerbakersfield.com
www.greenbakersfield.com

I knew of hot water pumps on timers, recirculation lines, and expensive plumbers, but never could justify the rumored $1000.00 cost or the thought of my water heater in a constant “running” state from 5am to 9am. And what about the occasional noon shower? (Click Read More to Continue)

Two months ago I purchased a Chilipepper CP6000 hot water pump and installed the unit under my master bathroom sink. It was super easy to install(15 minutes) and provides hot water when you need it. The Chilipepper appliance is not a heater, but a 1/3 horsepower demand pump that delivers hot water to my distance shower in under 90 seconds. No wasted water and three times faster than the old water down the drain method. This micro-processor controlled pump installs under any sink and as explained on the Chilipepper website:
“When you push the start button, the Chilipepper pumps the water in a big loop from the water heater through the hot water piping to the Chilipepper, and on through the cold water piping back to the water heater inlet, a big loop. When the electronic control circuitry detects an increase in the water temperature inside the pump of from 6 to 12 degrees, it shuts the pump off. The shut-off sensitivity is adjustable with a knob on the front of the Chilipepper. When the circuitry detects a temperature over 96 degrees it locks out the pump until the water in the pump cools back down to below 96.”
According to the Chilipepper folks, a family of four can save 15,000 gallons of water a year!

Most times it will probably be necessary to install an outlet under the sink. When the pump is operating the noise level is about the same as a small vacuum.

Price? To good to be true. See for yourself on their website: www.chilipepperapp.com or try my friends at buygreen: www.buygreen.com/chilipepperhotwaterpump.aspx

-Jeff Williams
www.greenerbakersfield.com
Green Bakersfield

The concept of the WHF is basic.  Fresh air is drawn from outside through open windows (usually at night) and is blown directly into the attic causing the hot air in your attic to vent outside. This brings down the heat load of the entire house and allows the house to stay cooler during the day.  This means you don’t have to run your AC as much to cool your house down to a comfortable level.  I’ve also used it to warm my house on those days when it is warmer outside than in.  I usually turn mine on at 2 or 3 in the morning.  I’ll get up, go to the bathroom (you probably didn’t need to know that) and check my remote thermometer outside.  More nights than not the temp outside is as cool or cooler than the inside of my house (I set my thermostat at 78), so I crack a couple of windows in my bedroom and turn it on.  Almost immediately I can feel the fan drawing cool air into the house.  I don’t know about you, but I sleep better breathing fresh air rather than recycled.

AirScape http://www.airscapefans.com has three models of fans depending on the square footage of your home. I have the smallest model.  On high it draws 70 watts at 1000 cfm, a lot less than an air conditioner (they average about 3kw an hour).  It was a very simple installation.  It fits into both 16” and 24″ stud bays.  The most technical part of the installation would be installing an outlet for the fan; it has a 6′ cord.  I’m an electrician, so that was not an obstacle for me. The unit is remote controlled, has a 3 yr warranty, and qualifies for a PG&E rebate.  This is just one step in lightening the load on your pocket book and mother earth’s shoulders.

-Tim Douhan

Greener Bakersfield Contributor

Last month I purchased “The Energy Detective” also known as TED.  TED is an energy monitor that allows my family to see our kWh consumption in real time!  TED can also keeps a running daily kWh total.  The TED unit was also super easy for my electrician friend Tim to install. Once the TED unit was installed and up and running, I was enthralled with turning different lights and appliances on and off to check their kWh draws. (Click Read More to Continue)

The Official TED Website explains how the unit works:
TED’s transmitting device, located in your circuit breaker panel, measures the amount of electricity coming into your home as you demand/use it and then transmits data every second over your receiving unit. The receiving display unit can be plugged into any A/C outlet in your home.  Check out more on the official TED website including pricing and installation instructions here: http://www.theenergydetective.com/index.html

For me one of the greatest benefits of the TED unit is benchmarking.  By benchmarking your current kWh usage for certain event times, one will gain efficiency knowledge for that event.  For example, say the event is leaving the house for work or school.  My kWh bench mark for this event is 90 watts. A quick glance at the TED unit, before leaving, will confirm that all lights, heating blankets, computers, printers, etc are powered off.  In the case where my watt usage is higher, I do a quick search to find the TV, closet light or heating blanket left on. For reference, my “Everyone is in bed or going to bed” benchmark is 120 watts.

Below, I have posted my most recent utility bill that shows this year and last years usage comparison for the same time period.  Note the drop from 20 kWh a day last year to 11 kWh this year.  Ohh, before I forget, here is a link to a video review of the TED. http://www.mavromatic.com/archives/000674.asp

One of my goals? a green Bakersfield, and a thicker wallet.

-Jeff Williams
www.greenerbakersfield.com
www.greenbakersfield.com
Green Bakersfield
Save Bakersfield