Building for a Cause: Supporting the Lake Taupo Hospice ‘Let’s Build’ Project

Use a bucket to wash your car instead of a hose and wash it on your lawn. This will mean you don’t waste water by leaving the hose running lying on the ground and any water running off the car will be absorbed by your grass. Use a bowl of water to wash vegetables rather than leaving the tap running. Otherwise much of the water just runs straight down the drain without even being used. Wash clothes only when you have a full load. This will cut down on the number of loads of washing you do and therefore the amount of water you use. Use an efficient shower head and shorten shower times. Some shower heads can pump out incredible volumes of water which is simply unnecessary. A more efficient shower head can save an unbelievable amount of water. Water gardens in the evening or early in the morning. If you use a sprinkler during the day up to 80% of the water will evaporate and won’t even be absorbed by plants. Watering in cooler times will reduce evaporation and increase absorption. Don’t use the toilet as an ashtray or waste basket. Every time you flush the toilet it uses up to 9 litres so rather than flushing tissues etc down the toilet, throw them in the rubbish bin. Take shorter showers. Long hot showers waste water and energy. Minimise the showering time to what is necessary. Turn off the water after you wet your tooth brush. After the toothbrush is wet and you have filled a glass for rinsing your mouth there is no need to keep water running down the drain. If you wash dishes by hand don’t leave water running for rinsing. This can use and excessive amount of water. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This avoids needing to run the tap to get cooler drinking water especially in the summer. Set your washing machine to the size of the load. This avoids excess water wastage. Use mulch in the garden around trees and plants. This slows the evaporation of moisture and avoids unnecessary watering while keeping the plants healthy. Use a broom or blower / vac to clean driveways and outdoor areas. Hundreds of Litres of water are wasted pushing a few leaves around. Water the lawn only when it needs it. A good way is to step on the grass. If it springs back up again it doesn’t need watering. Deep soak the lawn. When water your lawn make sure you soak the lawn long enough for the water to seep down to the roots. A light sprinkling only sits on the top and evaporates quickly. And make sure that the water actually goes onto the lawn! Watering the roof or your driveway is no good to anyone.

Over the past three days, we have the incredible opportunity to train with the experts at STIEBEL ELTRON New Zealand, diving deep into their advanced systems for hydronic heating, hot water, and heat recovery ventilation. We’re proud to announce that McBeth Plumbing & Gas is now an accredited installer for Stiebel Eltron products! This means we can bring even more innovative, sustainable, and energy-efficient solutions to our clients here in Taupō. A big thank you to the Stiebel Eltron team for generously sharing their knowledge and ensuring we stay at the forefront of the latest technologies. For those who aren’t familiar, Stiebel Eltron is a German family-owned company founded in 1924, renowned for its engineering excellence. Today, they are a global leader in heat pump technology and green energy solutions, with high-quality products sold in over 120 countries. We’re excited to add these cutting-edge systems to our offering and help more customers achieve comfortable, efficient, and sustainable homes.