Home Projects

I am one of those people who likes to tinker with things and the result of that is a number of DIY projects around the home that we have embarked on to reduce waste, reduce reliance on intermittent services or to reduce costs.  Ideally the project will do all three.  Below is some information about our 3 major projects that allow us to live in what we consider as an environmentally friendly sustainable way.

My perspective on sustainability and environmental responsibility is about living a good life by optimising what we have in the most effective way.  A good example is my morning shower.  When I have a shower, I use pumped rain water that we have harvested.  The pump is powered by solar energy from the day before that was stored in a battery for the morning.  I have a decent shower of reasonable length.  There is no need to try and conserve the water excessively as all the water flows into the grey water tank that will later be used to flush the toilets.  If I don't have a daily shower, I do not generate enough grey water and then I have to flush the toilet using rain water as the grey water tank would run dry.  It is all about balance - if I shower excessively, the grey water will overflow into the drain.  If I shower too conservatively, I will not generate enough grey water to flush the toilet and will need to use rain water.  So getting the balance right means I can have a good decent shower using rainwater that will then all be collected and optimised for second use to flush toilets.  The lesson here is that if planned correctly you can make a huge difference without having to go to extremes or compromise your comfort.

It is my believe that most problems can be solved in different ways and the best way for one person might not be the best for another as everyone's situation, skills and resources vary.  So there is seldom a definitive right or wrong way.  however, there are often mistakes that are made and the idea here is that by showing what we have done, you might see a mistake we have made that you will now avoid, or you might now see a way to avoid a mistake that you may have made.  Mostly it is just about presenting ideas for you to either use or discard.

Microgrid Power 

Rainwater Harvesting 

Grey Water 

Disclaimer

All items discussed and reviewed have been purchased by our family.  Any information should be used as an input into your own design.  There are no warranties or guarantees applicable to any of this information.  Experiences and opinions expressed are done solely with the intent of sharing knowledge for others to use or discard as they see fit.