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| The importance of water conservation is a well known but often disregarded fact of modern life. The need to conserve this precious resource is even more acute in the midst of a looming energy and environmental crisis. Please remember that: |
- Only one percent of the earth’s water is available for human consumption and global consumption has risen ten fold in the last century.
- Wilderness areas are destroyed due to draining of water and the construction of dams to get the water. Wetlands, bays and streams are degraded with the tapping of clean running water and the runoff of waste water into them.
- Huge amounts of energy are expended in the creation and maintenance of water infrastructure (the extraction, purification, distribution pipes, decontamination and disposal of dirty water)
- Increased agricultural use of water leads to erosion, desalination and desertification.
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| In the Kitchen |
- Whilst washing dishes or produce use a stoppered basin or bowl of hot water to rinse dishes. Not washing with the tap running and instead filling your sink half full can cut water down by 75% at the sink.
- Thawing foods efficiently byu using the microwave instead of running under hot water
- Soak you dishes for a while instead of scrubbing under running water and save your hands and the environment.
- Using low-flow faucets with a flow rate of between 1.5 and 2.5 gpm, as compared to 2.75 to 5.0 gpm for conventional faucets.
- Run the dishwasher only when full and choose the cycle that uses the least water by reading the manual.
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| In the Bathroom |
- In the U.S., approximately 40 percent of all domestic water consumed is flushed down the toilet.
- Switching from an older 5 gallons/flush toilet to a newer 1.6 gallons/flush toilet can save you about 70% on your average water use per year.
- A simple way to save is to place a shrink wrapped brick or fill a small milk jug with water and place it in your toilet's tank.
- Switch to a low flow shower head, which can cut your water use in the shower by 30 percent and the energy used to heat it. Old shower heads use 5 to 8 gallons per minute (gpm), compared to modern showerheads which have flow controlled to 2.5 GPM. You will not even notice this cut in usage and it will save you a bundle. You can also use an ultra low flow showerhead which reduces flow to 1.5 GPM which will be more noticeable. Using a low flow showerhead is only useful if you do not increase your time in the shower.
- Five percent of all domestic water consumption runs from the lavatory faucet. Conventional faucets usually have flow rates between 2.75 and 5.0gpm whereas low-flow faucets have rated flows between 1.5 and 2.5 by injecting air into the water as in the champagne function of a showerhead
- The greatest savings on kitchen and bathroom faucets comes from proper operation. Do no leave the faucets running when washing, shaving, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. This one precaution can save 5-10 times the water of an efficient faucet or aerator alone.
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Other in household water saving tips
- Install an electric ignition to your furnace or boiler. This eliminates the need for a pilot light which burns extra energy.
- Place a bucket in the shower. As you shower, the bucket catches water that you can use to water plants, wash the car etc. You can also catch the cold water that comes out of the shower before it turns hot.
- Try to take more showers than baths. They use much less water and energy to heat up the hot water.
- Lastly, if you have dripping faucets or pipes, fix them! This is a major waste of water for many homes
- Please lower your water heater setting to the lowest acceptable and blanket all pipes and portions of the water heater possible (please consult the owners’ manual). Pre cut insulation for pipes is available at most big stores.
- Run the minimum number of regenerations needed to maintain softness.
- Consider using a non-regenerating water filter as an alternative to a water softener.
- Turn off the softener when you are on vacation
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