- Learn why water conservation is so important. Yes, water is a renewable resource, but its access seems to be both unpredictable and arbitrary. Learn more about the international water crisis so that you can relate the world situation to your local access.
- Then, learn about your local watershed through adoption. The EPA invites you to adopt your local watershed. Through this effort, EPA challenges citizens and organizations to protect and restore water resources at a local level. You will become more aware of what you can do to conserve water and cash, like…
- Wash clothes only when you have a full load. Two socks or a full load require the same amount of energy to wash. You’ll save money on your water bill when you wash clothes less often.
- Use cold water whenever possible. Home laundering accounts for up to 36 percent of total household hot water use. You can save 90 percent of the energy you use to wash clothes when you switch to a cold wash. A switch to a cold-water detergent might cost a few pennies more per load, but if you wash clothes less often, that issue might be moot.
- Learn how to find water leaks. One drip can waste 250 gallons of water a month, which translates to 3,000 gallons of wasted water annually. Additionally, you can save money when you take matters into your own hands. Learn how to read your water meter to determine if you have water leaks. If you have a leak, learn how find that leak. For instance, you can test toilet leaks when you add a few drops of food coloring or instant coffee to the tank and don’t flush. If the color shows up in the bowl within a few minutes, you have a ’silent’ leak that needs repair.
- Use less water when you flush. Up to half the water consumed in a home is used in the bathroom. New low-volume flush toilets don’t need displacement devices; but, if you own an older toilet, a plastic bottle will come in handy in this instance. Instead of throwing the bottle in a landfill, fill it with water, recap it, and place it in the tank. You’ll reduce the flow by 40 percent and still maintain enough water for a good flush.
- Install a low flow showerhead and take short showers. The goal is to limit the flow to less than three gallons per minute, as this amount is far less than you might use with a regular shower. Learn how to install one yourself.
- Reduce your water heater temperature to 120° F. It makes no sense to cool off water that’s too hot to use.
- Wrap your water heater with warmth. While you’re reducing the thermostat you can wrap that baby in an insulating jacket, especially if the water heater was installed before 1992 (although newer models will benefit as well). Don’t wrap the water heater if the instructions prohibit it, and don’t cover the thermostat or the air inlets on gas- or oil-fired water heaters. This small effort will save you betwen four to nine percent in water heating costs.
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