Water Saving Advice and Tips
Everyone uses water each day, whether it be at home or work. There are loads of really small changes that you could make which all add up to make a big difference – especially to your pocket and the environment!
Our quick tips and advice will give you an overview of a few changes… there are many more though!
- See more at: http://www.waterwise.org.uk/pages/water-saving-advice-and-tips.html#sthash.R3nhjJR2.dpuf
Everyone uses water each day, whether it be at home or work. There are loads of really small changes that you could make which all add up to make a big difference – especially to your pocket and the environment!
Our quick tips and advice will give you an overview of a few changes… there are many more though!
- See more at: http://www.waterwise.org.uk/pages/water-saving-advice-and-tips.html#sthash.R3nhjJR2.dpuf
Bathroom
There are around 45 million toilets in UK homes – this equates to flushing an estimated 2 billion litres of water every day! About 30% of total water used in the household is through toilet flushing.
1) Purchase a water efficient toilet:
Showers have become increasingly popular, in the 1970s less than 20% of homes had a shower, today ownership is at 85%.
By being water efficient in the shower doesn’t only save you money on your water bill, it will have a positive effect on your energy bill too because of the heating of water associated with showering.
1) Switch showerhead
The kitchen tap and dishwasher account for 8 – 14% of water used in the home.
1) Dishwashers
There are loads of methods to be water efficient and still maintain a blooming garden.
1) Grass
There are many benefits to reducing water consumption in the work place, it can help with more than just cost. It can help your business to comply with current and future environmental legislation, reduce its carbon footprint, improve your company’s environmental performance and generate positive PR.
Education
There are around 45 million toilets in UK homes – this equates to flushing an estimated 2 billion litres of water every day! About 30% of total water used in the household is through toilet flushing.
1) Purchase a water efficient toilet:
- Dual flush toilets have a split flush button which gives the user the choice of how much water to use
- Dual flush toilets typically use 4-6 litres of water opposed to the old style flush systems which use a massive 13 litres per flush.
- A CDD is placed in the cistern to displace around 1 litre of water every time you flush. They are super easy to install.
- Installing a CDD can achieve savings of up to 5000 litres per year
- They are available for FREE from most water companies
- To detect a slow leak add a few drops of food colouring to your toilet cistern
- Don’t flush it for around an hour
- If the food colouring is present after an hour, you have a leak. L
- Its easy to fix though! You could find a recommended plumber to call or if you fancy a bit of DIY take the parts to the hardware store and ask the staff to help replace them
- Remember to check again for a leak once fixed.
- Try to avoid flushing away cotton ball or make up tissues, simply throwing them in a bin will cut down on the amount of water wasted with every flush.
Showers have become increasingly popular, in the 1970s less than 20% of homes had a shower, today ownership is at 85%.
By being water efficient in the shower doesn’t only save you money on your water bill, it will have a positive effect on your energy bill too because of the heating of water associated with showering.
1) Switch showerhead
- Aerated showerheads reduce the flow but don’t compromise on pressure. They maintain the pressure by mixing in air with water to produce a steady, even spray.
- Low flow showerheads reduce the amount of water used, whilst still giving you the feel of a normal shower.
- The average time spent in the shower varies considerably, but the general trend showers longer showers are on the rise
- To help keep track of time try using a shower timer, they help to keep shower times reduced. If everyone used a shower timer we would save enough water to supply 1 million homes every day
The kitchen tap and dishwasher account for 8 – 14% of water used in the home.
1) Dishwashers
- Try and use a full load every time. This can be helped by ensuring you buy a dishwasher with a capacity suitable for your household size.
- Experiment with different settings on your dishwasher, many modern machines offer ‘Eco’ or ‘Economy’ setting which use less water and energy. These can even be more efficient than hand washing.
- Avoid pre rinsing dishes, detergents are highly effective, so all you need to do is simply scrape and place. Easy.
- Taps can vary in flow volume, from 2 – 25 litres per minute. Peoples behaviours also vary, whether you fully twist the tap to how long you leave it on for can all have an impact
- Try adding a washing up bowl or plug into your sink to catch excess. This can reduce water wastage by 50% and be used to wash your veg in.
- Adding a tap aerator can help to reduce the flow, similar to the shower.
- Clothes washing now accounts for 15% of water we use in our homes
- When buying a washing machine, have a look at the Waterwise ranking (inc link), tbe best models will typically use less than 7.5 litres per kg.
- Remember to read the manual to find out which cycles are the most water efficient
- Surveys show that a typical load of washing is usually much less than the maximum capacity of the model, stuff in a few extra shirts to make the most of your loads!
- This is one area you should NOT cut back your useage, UK tap water is one of the best in the world. Enjoy it.
- Fridge it, putting a large bottle of tap water in the fridge will ensure you can have chilled water all the time. Waiting for the tap to run cold can waste more than 10l of tap water a day.
- Plants love to have a drink of any leftover water in glasses
- Try to fill the kettle with only what is needed, this will save water and energy.
- Using the lid on saucepans reduces the amount of water lost, so you don’t have to put as much in. It also helps your lovely veg cook quicker.
There are loads of methods to be water efficient and still maintain a blooming garden.
1) Grass
- Its ok for the lawn to go brown, it helps it to build up resistance and recover immediately after rainfall.
- Sprinklers can use as much as 1000 litres per hour! This is more than a family of four use in a whole day. If you have to use a sprinkler, try to use it in the early morning/ late afternoon, this is when evaporation rates are lowest.
- Pressure washers should be used sparingly. Look out for water efficient models that are available!
- Hosepipes: by attaching a trigger nozzle on your hosepipe will halve the amount of water used and help direct the flow to the root of your plants
- Watering cans can significantly reduce the amount of water used whilst getting the desired amount to your plants
- Water butts are a brilliant method to catch large amount of rainwater that falls each year – its free water. Have a look at the Waterwise guide to waterbutts.
- Lots of people use bathwater on their gardens, this is brilliant. Please remember this is dirty water and should be used immediately, and never on fruit/ veg or near children.
- Use mulch and bark in your garden, it will help to reduce evaporation by up to 75%.
- Think about mixing some drought resistant bedding and perennial plants to your garden to add a bit of diversity.
There are many benefits to reducing water consumption in the work place, it can help with more than just cost. It can help your business to comply with current and future environmental legislation, reduce its carbon footprint, improve your company’s environmental performance and generate positive PR.
Education
- Educate your employees on the importance and practices of water efficiency
- Try and set water usage targets and encourage widespread involvement to achieve this!
- Know where your supply pipes run and where the shut off valves are
- Check your meters at night or when no is being used to monitor leakage
- Make sure your pipes are protected against cold weather as leakage can increase after a burst due to frost
- Install water efficient devices in bathrooms such as waterless urinals or automatic taps
- See if your water supplier offer water audits, these are a good way to see how you can make small changes to make a big difference
- Try and use water efficient settings on all kitchen appliances
- Installing automatic taps or spray taps can help make a big difference to consumption levels
- Where possible use a water butt to harvest rainwater for use in your business