Tony Esposito NewsChannel 36 Production

Work on the new house is going well. All the main lights have been changed over to fluorescent bulbs. That will give us lower lighting bills and because of the longer bulb life, lessen the need to purchase replacement bulbs so often.

As far as the heating system goes, we haven't had the need to give it a try. The house is well insulated and the indoor temperature hasn't dropped below 70 degrees. Since we set the temperature to 69 degrees it could be awhile before I can write a full report.

As I wrote in my last blog, the heating system is built around the gas-fired tankless hot water heater. I am excited to see how it heats and the cost of using this system. Stay tuned...

Water use is another resource we are working to reduce. Low-flow showerheads are the easiest method to cut water use and are very effective. A $30 showerhead can save more money than $3,000 worth of solar panels. The water comes out with a strong stream and feels like a regular showerhead. Give one a try and see how much water you can save.

Speaking of saving water, we just replaced our toilet. We bought a dual-flush toilet made by American Standard. It is quite amazing. There are two buttons you can use. The small button is for liquid waste and uses .8 gallons per flush and the larger button is for solid waste and uses 1.6 gallons per flush. Newer toilets are made to use roughly 1.28 gallons per flush for every flush. Having the option of using the .8 gallons for liquid waste is certainly going to save a lot of water.

How does it work? Just fine. It handles liquid waste with no problem but I was concerned about solid waste. Did it have enough power to flush the waste down the drain? I am happy to say it has worked flawlessly for over two weeks. I love it.

If you ever have the need to replace your toilet, I highly recommend giving this toilet a try. You will save a gallon of water per flush of liquid waste. The cost is a little more but savings in both water and money will add up over time.

I am in the process of doing some yard work in a sustainable manner and will report on this next week.

---