Being a water conservationist doesn’t require you to be a radical environmentalist. There are small, simple, and quick ways you can conserve water in whatever building you are in whether it is your home or office. It not only saves water, our most precious resource, but it also saves you money—two incentives to put these tools into action.
High Efficiency Toilets
Other big water wasters are the toilets in your home. Standard toilets use between 3-8 gallons of water with every flush. One way to cut down the water usage per flush is by installing EPA certified WaterSense toilets. These high-efficiency toilets use a maximum of 1.28 gallons per flush. Dual flush options can cut water usage down to as low as .8 gallons per flush—that’s less than a gallon of water per flush! Again, if you have an older home, these toilets can use 4-6 gallons per flush.
Water efficient toilets can cost a little more upfront, but the money it saves you in the long run more than pays for the difference in price. If you can’t afford or don’t want to pay for a new energy efficient toilet, there are ways you can alter your existing toilet to conserve water. You can attach a Toilet Fill Cycle Diverter to reduce the amount of water released in each flush by 0.5 gallons.
Installing the water saving Toilet Tank Bank is a quick and cost-effective way to save water at this source. This displacement bag saves about 0.8 gallons of water per flush when installed.
Low Flow Aerators: Bathrooms and Kitchen Faucets
If every household in the United States installed low flow faucet aerators, we could save over 60 billion gallons of water annually. They are cost-efficient, simple to install tools that can pay for themselves in a matter of days with the savings on water bills.
The Niagara 1.0 GPM Dual Thread Bubble Bathroom Aerator uses only 1 gallon of water per minute, yet still produces a satisfying stream of water. The Niagara 1.5 gpm Brassdual Thread Coupling Swivel Kitchen Aerator allows you to aim the water wherever you want it in your sink and uses only 1.5 gallons of water per minute.
Low Flow Showerheads
While a standard showerhead uses approximately 2.5 gallons of water per minute, low flow showerheads use 1.5 gallons per minute. This means that a 10-minute shower can use 25 gallons of water with a standard showerhead, but only about 15 gallons of water with a low flow showerhead. This easily saves 10 gallons of water per person.
Standard bathroom faucet aerators can also waste water—using approximately 2.2 gallons per minute. Assuming a household of four has the faucet on for a total of 30 minutes each day, approximately 66 gallons of water is flowing through these faucets each day. This is 1,980 gallons each month.
By installing water saving aerators, you can save almost 50 percent of water waste. Likewise, standard kitchen aerators can waste a lot of water, especially when then are continuously on while rinsing dishes. Consider switching to flow control kitchen aerators for significant water savings.
Thermostatic Valves and AutoDiverting Tub Spouts
Many people don’t realize just how much hot water is wasted while waiting for the shower to heat up. If you’re like most people, you open the faucet and step away for a few minutes, and the hot water is already flowing fast by the time you jump in for your shower.
Thermostatic shower heads and auto-diverting tub spouts use temperature sensors to stop that waste. To use them, you turn on your faucet as usual. When the water reaches a comfortable temperature — around 95 degrees fahrenheit — the faucet automatically pauses flow. Then you simply switch the water back on when you’re ready, and enjoy a steaming hot shower from the first moment.
You’ll significantly reduce wasted hot water, and also ensure that the temperature of your shower is perfect when you step in. Who knew one of the best ways to reduce hot water waste is also one that will elevate your shower experience?
Outdoor Water Conservation
Don’t let your conservation goals end at the door to your home. For many households, outdoor water use accounts for around 30 percent of total household water use. That means that increasing efficiency outdoors can have a big impact on your bottom line consumption.
Soil Moisture Meter
The Soil Moisture Meter is an outdoor water efficiency tool that allows you to monitor the levels of water in the soil. Over watering is the most common cause of plant death. Using this tool prevents over watering of plants to promote healthy gardens and lawns. The soil moisture meter helps to eliminate water waste.
Sustainable Irrigation Systems
You can also conserve the water you use for landscaping projects or watering your lawn. When designing and building walkways, patios and driveways, use porous materials like porous stone or un-compacted gravel to allow rainwater to be soaked up by the ground. Instead of using water hoses and sprinkler systems, use a rainwater collection system for watering the lawn.
Water is one of the most precious resources we have, and fresh water is being wasted every day. There are small things you can do, tools you can use, to conserve the water usage in your home—and save money on your water and energy bills while doing it.