If you’re having issues with water conservation, there are many different ways to make your home Water Efficient that you can easily implement around your home. All you need to do after reading this article is follow the tips and put them into action!
Ways You Can Save Water
Monitor Your Water Bill
While having a large water bill doesn’t necessarily mean you’re using too much water, monitoring your usage can help you identify when leaks are occurring. A slow drip in a toilet or under-sink faucet can end up costing hundreds of dollars in extra costs per year. Look at how much water you’re using, when you use it and how often to see if you can reduce your home’s overall water consumption without hurting its functionality.
Fix Leaks inside the home
That dripping faucet, sprinkler system or toilet is wasting water and money. Fixing leaks inside and outside of your home can be as simple as adjusting a washer or tightening a pipe joint.
Replace Faucets
A dripping faucet may seem like a minor issue, but it can waste up to 200 gallons of water every day. To make things worse, most faucets require a special tool to fix—which you might not have on hand. A simpler solution is to install a water-saving aerator on top of your faucet that restricts water flow as needed and makes leaks easier to detect.
Fix Clogged Rains and Cisterns
One of the easiest ways to save water is to make sure drains and cisterns aren’t clogged. It’s an easy fix, but a lot of people neglect their drains because they don’t have any issues with them—at least until there is a major problem, like one caused by serious clogging. Clogs are usually caused by grease buildup, so all you need to do is clean out your sinks and other drains regularly.
Avoid Waste
The average family uses over 400 gallons of water per day, so it’s important to do what you can to limit water waste. One way is to change out old toilets and replace them with low-flow models; these use about 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to older models that use 6 or more. And if you have an older model, add a gallon or two of water instead of flushing; as gross as it sounds, almost no one actually looks in their toilet before they flush it!
Fix Little Leaks
A dripping faucet may seem like a small problem, but if it’s left unchecked, it can waste up to 500 gallons of water every month. Fixing these leaks requires just a few tools and some know-how. For example, you’ll need a basin wrench to shut off water at your home’s main valve and pliers to shut off any valves that lead directly to individual fixtures in your home.
Take Short Showers
Taking shorter showers can be a great way to save water and reduce your water bill. To make showering more efficient, keep a shower log to track how long you’re in there. Then, work to beat that number each time you bathe.
Install a Low Flow Toilet
If you want to make your home more water efficient, installing a low flow toilet is a good place to start. Low flow toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush compared to older models that use 3.5 or even 7 gallons per flush, so they’re far more water efficient. You can also opt for an ultra-low flow toilet which uses 1 gallon per flush and automatically shuts off when it senses additional flushing is unnecessary!
Use Greywater
Greywater is wastewater generated from household activities such as laundry, bathing, and cleaning. If you have a septic tank or a centralized municipal sewer system, greywater can be used to water landscape plants.
This means that you could potentially cut down on your home’s total water consumption—which makes it more water efficient.
Buy Less Bottled Water
Bottled water is about 2,000 times more expensive than tap water (depending on where you live), and a lot of it is less safe, too. To make your home more water efficient, buy less bottled water. You’ll save money and stop using so many plastic bottles. It’s one of my favorite home water efficient tips!
