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Water Smart Landscape Conversion Started
We decided to convert our grass filled front yard to xeriscape. The great thing about doing this is if you live in Las Vegas call the Southern Nevada Water Authority before starting the conversion you will potentially get up to $1.50 sq/ft back. If you do this it is important to have them come out first before ripping out turf.
There is one thing I know about something as labor intensive as landscaping, that in order to get it done in a timely fashion we are going to have to pay to have someone do at least part of the project. To save some money we’ll do most of the demolition work ourselves.
The Plan
After sketching out the dimensions of the front yard, we came up with an overall plan for the front yard. We can’t afford to do everything we want all at once so we’re going to break it up into 3 stages. Here are some of the things we would like to incorporate into the new front yard.
- 2 different sizes and types of rock
- Additional parking
- A small wall in front to keep debris and the random dog out of the yard
- Minimal plant maintenance
Stage 1 – Remove all the existing decorative walls, the planter box attached to the front of the house, sandstone gravel and turf. Once that’s finished we’ll work with a landscaper to put in the new gravel and irrigation in.
Stage 2 – Figure out a paver solution for the additional parking section. I want to use pavers so water can go into the ground and not the street.
Stage 3 – Put in the stacked stone wall in front of the house.
Original Front Yard
5 Energy Saving Tips For Winter
For Las Vegas things start getting cold right after Halloween, lucky us. I was recently contacted by a Home Depot associate and asked to relay the following energy saving quick tips for the winter. They cover some of the most common areas for improving the efficiency of a home. I’ve done some expansion with what I hope are some useful links. In addition, Home Depot has an energy saving podcasts series. Hope they help.
- Regularly maintain your furnace and water heater. Regular maintenance on your furnace and water heater will increase energy efficiency in your home. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20 percent to 50 percent. Regular maintenance will help make these investments in your home last longer and be more energy efficient.
- The DIY Network has a pretty good article on water heater maintenance.
- If your in the market to purchase a new water heater and your not sure if you need a larger unit, GE has a water heater capacity calculator.
- This HowStuffWorks article on furnace maintenance covers furnace basics, cleaning, lubricating the motor and changing a belt.
- Install a programmable thermostat. You can save up to $180 a year by installing a programmable thermostat that controls the temperature of your home while you’re at work or asleep.
- Seal your home from heat and cold. Allowing air to escape through gaps and cracks is like throwing your money away. By sealing your home like caulk, sealant and weather-stripping, you can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.
- Insulating outlet boxes with spray foam
- Inexpensively sealing a drafty fireplace
- Sealing exterior wall gaps with expandable foam
- Install insulation. According to the Department of Energy, the leading cause of energy waste in the home is inadequate insulation and air leakage. Homeowners typically can reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 20 percent by sealing their homes and adding insulation in attics, floors over crawl spaces and accessible basement rim joists.
- Not sure what are the suggested R ratings for your area? The EPA has a page that will help you figure it out.
- If your not sure about what R value is or need to figure out the R rating of your current insulation, Oakridge National Lab has a great insulation guide.
- Update your windows. ENERGY STAR-qualified windows can reduce your energy costs by $126-$465 per year when replacing single-pane windows or $27-$111 a year when replacing double-pane, clear glass windows. For a quick fix, add heat control window film to your windows and save up to 50 percent on your cooling costs.
Water Smart Innovations ’08: Exhibit Area
The vendor exhibit has a good variety of companies from local to national and small start-ups trying to get a distributor to large established companies like Kohler. The SWAG is pretty good. Revive organic soil treatment actually gave away a 1/2 gallon sample. Here are some images from this morning’s visit.
Project WET Education Program
Project WET Aquifer Demo
Select A Flush Commercial Retrofit Kit
Kohler Booth
Niagra Booth
Water Smart Innovations ’08: Joe 6 Pack by JC Davis
JC Davis from the Southern Nevada Water Authority did one of the best presentations today about the focus marketing done for who he called ‘Joe Six Pack’. In Las Vegas there are different water schedules for different times of the year. Part of the problem is getting people to change their watering schedule at the right time of the year.
Instead of the usual marketing year round, JC said they changed their strategy. Through customer surveys they determined their target audience was males 35 -54. This information led them to create hilarious award winning commercial that garnered a great response from the target audience. Doing the target ads and flooding TV programs in that demographic 14 days before and after the new watering schedule proved to increase participation.
At Water Smart Innovations ’08 In Las Vegas
I’ll be at the Water Smart Innovations ’08 conference this week. Entrance fees are a bit steep at $75 for exibits and $390 for sessions. Not sure what presentations I’ll go to, but I’m told all of them will be online within a week.