Don't Worry About Swamp Cooler Water Consumption

People sometimes worry about the water consumption of an evaporative cooler.   I found this information in an NREL report:

"on a Btu-of-cooling-per-kWh-of-electricity basis, the best evaporative cooling systems are on the order of five times more efficient than SEER 13 central air conditioning (CAC) systems and demand is less by a factor of four or more. Further, additional water use at the site (home) amounts to only about 3 percent of the water use of an average residential customer."

So don't let water costs drive you away from swamp coolers in Denver.

However, if you are building a new, smallish, superinsulated low energy home, you are better off going with a mini-PTHP for heating and cooling.  A swamp cooler requires more maintenance and seasonal mode changeover, which is awkward due to seasonal overlaps like "Indian Summer".

It's Not Price-Pfister, but the "P" is Silent

In a recent trip to the Wellington Webb building, a had a chance to use my first waterless urinal. I don't yet know how they work, but it was totally odorless and splashless, all in all very pleasant.

If your household has at least two guys, you should install one. The water savings will eventually pay for it.

Update: About six months after installation, I visited the restroom in the City and County Building, and one of these urinals was malfunctioning somehow. It was NASTY. Caveat Emptor, and train your maintenance staff!

Finally a Foolproof Toilet Fill Valve to Save Water

We had three brand-new toilets that leaked slightly, apparently through the flapper. Even if it wasn't a significant amount of water, or caused a noticeable increase in the water bill, it caused an unsightly red mold to grow. Even though the toilets are cleaned weekly, the mold can be seen as vertical stripes in the bowl wherever the leak runs down the sides of the bowl.

Anyway, Fluidmaster now makes a new fill valve that refuses to refill if there is a slow leak. As soon as the handle is jiggled, however, it will refill. So a tenant can use it just fine with minimal inconvenience, but the normally wasted water is saved.

This may increase your callbacks in new single family construction, but it's the perfect solution for buildings with maintenance staff.