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TGoG 128 – Major Events Around the Yard

October 8, 2015 @ 21:51 By Gavin Webber Leave a Comment

Listen to the Episode Below (00:17:56)
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Some major events around the place this week so this week’s episode is a bit of a round-up.

We had to remove the greenhouse due to catastrophic failure of the polycarbonate sheeting.  Its being replaced with a storage shed for soap making supplies for Little Green Workshops.  I will make some trellis against the new shed to espalier a couple of dwarf fruit trees, so all is not lost.

PA080001-001

We just past 30 megawatt hours of electricity generated by our 2.8kw solar PV system!

Solar hot water has been free this month and will be until late March

Our garden got scorched from 4 days over 30°C.  In fact we had a day of 37°C which turned all our apple blossom brown.  I think we may lose the entire crop.

Next Wednesday we join get the National Broadband Network hooked up to the house and will be able to provide more video content.  Currently on our ADSL2+ connection, it takes me 5 hours to upload a 20 minute YouTube video.  Think of all the extra time I will have to produce more video content instead of waiting for uploads!

Oh, and lastly, check out the “My Videos” menu item on the blog.  You will find a gallery of selected sustainable living videos that I’ve uploaded over the years, including my four national television appearances!


If you have a question that you would like either Kim or I to answer on the podcast, leave us a voicemail via the SpeakPipe widget below.  Just remember to play the recording back to yourself before sending it to ensure that we will be able to hear your question.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Filed Under: climate change, Gardening, Podcast, solar hot water, Solar Power, TGOG Podcast

The Great Kilowatt Challenge eBook – On Sale!

August 19, 2014 @ 23:04 By Gavin Webber 4 Comments

A year in the writing, The Great Kilowatt Challenge eBook and companion worksheet are now available for purchase at my eBookstore!

Here is the book blurb;

The Great Kilowatt Challenge

The Great Kilowatt Challenge eBook

The Step by Step Guide to $aving Easy Money off Your Power Bills

Want to save some easy money off your power bill, but you don’t know where to start?

Are you sick of paying a small fortune on seemingly ever rising  electricity costs?

Do you want to take back control?

Well you can right now!  The Great Kilowatt Challenge is an eBook and worksheet designed to help you get control of your electricity consumption and lower that bill.

The step by step four week challenge will help you gain a better understanding of how to determine which appliances and behaviours within your home are costing you the most money, and how to turn that around back in your favour.

The companion worksheet is available as downloadable content within the ebook.

This comprehensive eBook is exclusive to The Greening of Gavin readers only.  You will not find this excellent guide anywhere else on the web or at other ebook retailers until a few months time.

Get it before you receive your next electricity bill.  You won’t regret it!

For more information about what the ebook offers, head on over to ebookstore.

 


A big shout out goes to Pam for proof reading it, and to all the beta testers who participated in the very first Great Kilowatt Challenge in 2011.

From that original and successful series of blog posts came the idea for the eBook where it saved many readers a lot of money off their power bills.

The worksheet, which is found as a link within the eBook, has full instructions for entering your meter data, and assists in automatically calculating your daily electricity usage and cost.  It couldn’t be any easier than that.

I have also included a weekly feedback option within the eBook where the challenge participants can share their results and ask further questions if needs be.  I don’t expect that everyone will share, but the option is there if you want it.

Anyway, thanks for being patient with me while I put this eBook together.  It is well worth the wait!

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Filed Under: eBook, energy efficiency, Goals, solar hot water, Solar Power, Sustainable Living Tagged With: The Great Kilowatt Challenge

Outdoor Solar Shower

May 11, 2014 @ 16:58 By Gavin Webber 14 Comments

Something I like to do after a swim is have a nice warm shower. Now wouldn’t it be even nicer if that shower was outside, and the water was heated by the sun? An Outdoor Solar Shower maybe?

Well look no further, my green friends.  That is exactly what we have done, with a little bit of upcycling on the side.

It all started when at the start of October last year, Kim requested a place to wash her hair after swimming.  She had been using the hose up until then, and continued to do so throughout the summer, mainly because I couldn’t find a permanent and somewhat greenish solution.

Initially, I made her a shower deck for materials that I had lying around.  This was back in January.  All I had to buy was the decking screws, as I had all the other gear.

Teddy certainly liked it, and we put it in place before landscaping the pool area with stone.

So with the shower base in place, we had to find a solar shower.  I did look at some designs on the net, but I couldn’t really find anything that would suit the area.

Solar Shower

Solar Shower

Kim was the one who found it, but initially I balked at the price.  However, once I did the maths, it worked out cheaper than if I sourced all of the materials myself.  So we purchased the unit from this online store, for A$119.

Also as chance would have it, a couple of days before we installed the shower, we had a delivery of flat pack furniture.  The wardrobe components were loaded on a hardwood pallet, that was too good to burn.  So we decided that with a coat of natural oil, it would make a mighty fine privacy screen and soap holder.

Upcycled hardwood pallet

Upcycled hardwood pallet

We bolted it to the wall and one of the arbour support posts.

The shower itself was very easy to construct.  Nothing to describe really, just screw the top pipe into the bottom pipe and screw on the shower head.  A little bit of plumbers tape to make sure everything is water-tight and it is done.

Flickmater tap on solar shower

The flick mixer works well.  Turned to the left you get piping hot water, in the middle; lukewarm and to the right cold from the tap.

The bottom pipe must be bolted into concrete or a solid structure.  In this case, bolted it to the small deck that I made, with some reinforcing behind it so if someone leaned on the shower, it would not fall over or come loose.

Solar shower plumbing 2

I got a plumber to connect it permanently, with proper fittings, because the alternative as suggested by the instructions that came with the shower was to connect the hose with a normal clip on fitting.  I wanted it to be a fixture and not have to wind the hose up every time we used it.

It has a tap on the wall on the other side of the gate as you enter the pool area.

Tap for solar shower

Easy to flick on as you proceed into the shower.  I figure that during the summer the water was about 50°C, and in winter it is about 20°C.  Not a lot of sunlight shines on the shower unit in the winters, which is okay because we don’t have a heated pool.  As the angle of the sun gets higher as the seasons march towards summer, the entire black pipe is heated for most of the day.  Because hot water rises, most of the top pipe near the shower head is very warm, and you have to temper the water with the flick mixer.

As the cold water floods in from the mains it slowly replaces the hot water, beginning the process anew.

Demonstrating the solar shower

Demonstrating the solar shower

The runoff water runs under the gate into the garden area, so there was no need to add in a drain.

So for about $200 including the plumbing, I would say that it was a fairly cheap job for this sort of set up.  I know where I will be showering in the summer.  In my very own outdoor solar shower.

It is a good backup for our indoor showers should the solar and gas heating fail, and I can run it from my rainwater tanks and small pump if necessary.

I am very pleased with it, and even I like it even better that there are no heating costs!  Free hot water for the whole family.

 

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Filed Under: shower head, solar hot water, Sustainable Living

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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