Reduce your Water Usage at Home
In the UK, the average person uses 150 litres of water every day. That includes drinking, washing and flushing the toilet. Here are some simple ways you can reduce your water usage at home:
1. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth
This is probably the simplest one of them all and we’re all guilty of it at one time or another. It’s early, you’re up with the larks and brushing your teeth whilst still half asleep, then you realise you’ve left the tap on while brushing them.
Did you know that you could be wasting as much as 6 litres of water every minute by leaving the tap running when brushing your teeth?
2. Stop singing in the shower
It doesn’t have to be that harsh but having a shorter shower could save your water bill. Depending on your shower, some can use up to a staggering 45 litres every minute, so reducing your shower by as little as a minute can make a huge difference.
3. Store tap water in the fridge for drinking
Storing a jug of tap water in the fridge will guarantee you have cold drinking water available. So, there’s no need to run the tap until it’s cold. If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, try using a filter jug to remove the impurities.
4. Fix a dripping tap
A dripping tap is not only physically annoying but can also be adding to your water bill, too. One dripping tap could waste as much as 15 litres for water every day and if it’s left for a year that figure is more than 5000 litres. Imagine what you could have done with that 5000 litres of water instead!
5. Use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher
The washing machine and the dishwasher must be among the most convenient inventions made, but they use both a lot of water and energy. However, you can cut the amount of water these machines use by always making sure they are full before using them, even if that means waiting for a full load.
Doing so is also convenient because it means you don’t have to do washes in between either.
Why does it matter?
Being water savvy is not only good for your own pocket but is also great for the environment. Saving water around your home will undoubtedly save you money overall. It also helps the environment because using water efficiently means that water sources like rivers can be reserved. That’s because when demand increases, we must take our water from somewhere else, but reducing our water usage means habitats for wildlife remain protected.
And conserving water also helps with climate change. The two go together because the water industry contributes approximately 1% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. So, reducing your own water usage will reduce your own carbon footprint.
