Tim Barron's (timbarron) Blog

  Saving Water in Southern Homes – Reduce Irrigation Need Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  Let’s look at ways to reduce our need for irrigation. The average US household uses about 25,000...

Saving Water in Southern Homes – Recycling Gray Water Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  Let’s look at recycling gray (or grey) water to reduce demand. Gray water is the water used in baths...

  Saving Water in Southern Homes – Tank or Tankless? I’ve been exploring ways to save water in homes.  The type of water heater you choose is more about saving energy instead of water, but it’s a related topic. When I design a southern home, what type of Water Heater to use - Tank or Tankless is ...

  Saving Water in Southern Homes – Hot Water Recirculation Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so let’s look at a neat way to save hot water every time you take a bath or shower. In an earlier post, I discussed WaterSense fixtures and their value in saving water. But the Hot ...

  Saving Water in Southern Homes – Using Rain Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, and one good way to save water in southern homes is to use the rain. The great thing about rain is that it’s free, and in the south it’s abundant – averaging 50-60” per year.  9 southern states ...

    Saving Water in Southern Homes – WaterSense and Beyond Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  Let’s look now at water saving fixtures. I remember water saving fixtures from decades past – l...

Saving Water in Southern Homes – Drink up! Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  I’ve noticed recently that I spend more on my water/sewer bill than my electricity/gas bills.  That got me thin...

Saving Water in Southern Homes – Behavior Matters Saving water is an important part of the Green movement, so I decided to explore how to save water in homes – particularly in southern homes.  Let’s look first at personal water use. To put water use in perspective, the average water use per perso...

  The Difference is Design! My wife and I were on vacation last week with friends, and we got off the beaten path a bit to look at homes in the area.  This is a habit that helps me understand housing from a more universal perspective.  At one point we were in a nice historical neighborhood and tu...

  Don’t Let the Wind Destroy your Southern Home!   As we clean up from hurricane Issac, I thought it would be a good idea to look at how wind affects buildings, and how to keep it from destroying your home.  This is especially important in the South, because the vast majority of hurricanes hit th...