With the economy in freefall, unemployment on the rise and home foreclosures plaguing the nation, people are looking to save dollars and cents any way they can. For a lot of us that means trimming utility costs. To provide assistance, some low-cost new inventions have emerged which offer individuals ways to monitor and alter household water usage.
When you’re looking to conserve water, the first thing that has to go is the long shower. Statistics have suggested that showering accounts for a third of total water usage. While basking your head under hot, flowing water for a half-hour everyday may help you wake up, it also streams dollar after dollar down the drain. To help ease the process of reducing shower time, there’s the Eco Showerdrop (pictured) from our friends over in England. The Showerdrop is a teardrop-shaped device that hangs in the shower and acts as a meter – letting the showerer know exactly how much water they’re using as they use it. When the recommended water-usage level has been hit, the Showerdrop emits an audio alert. Once the alarm sounds, it’s time to get moving. The device can display water usage in either litres or gallons, and users can raise or lower the usage limits as desired.With no U.S. distributors at this time, the Eco Showerdrop can only be purchased from UK-based Web sites like Ethical Superstore for the equivalent of $16 (plus shipping and handling).
On the other side of the bathroom, another new invention helps to reduce the amount of water your toilet uses. Rather than spend a small fortune purchasing a whole new, more water-efficient toilet, the Dual Flush kit enables users to get similar results by altering an existing toilet. Easy to install in minutes (according to SelectAFlush), the patent-pending Dual Flush valve offers users a full flush when pushed to the right and a more conservative liquid rinse when pushed left. As you may have guessed, the liquid rinse is intended for use with one type of excrement (commonly referred to as “number one”), while the full flush is for another (good old “number two”).The company touts the Dual Flush valve uses “highly engineered, long-lasting seals that will not leak” and SelectAFlush estimates each valve installed will save around 7,000 gallons of water a year. That, in turn, should help lower water and sewage bills. The Dual Flush Conversion Kit is currently available for purchase at the SelectAFlush online store for $24.95.
That great thing about inventors is that they’re driven by necessity. This means whenever there’s a problem receiving recognition – like our current economic crisis – inventors show up in droves, delivering inventions and new products to provide a solution. The Dual Flush Conversion Kit comes from a Michigan inventor looking to save his family money, while the Eco Showerdrop was developed across the pond. Along with cutting costs for homeowners, both inventors are equally concerned with helping the environment. For the Showerdrop, it’s conserving water – a more precious resource than people tend to realize and a frequently wasted commodity. Meanwhile, SelectAFlush notes the Dual Flush Conversion kit can save landfill space by extending the lives of high-consumption toilets, reduce impact on septic systems and municipal sewage treatment systems, and alleviate strain on water treatment plants.
