How to Save Water – Top Tips

Changes in our lifestyles, population growth and climate change are contributing to an increased demand on our water supplies.  It’s vital that everyone avoids taking this essential resource for granted and uses water wisely in order to ensure sufficient supplies in the future.  We are all guilty of wasting water – how long do you run the tap when you clean your teeth?  Start saving water today and get into good habits as the conservation and metering of water is bound to become more widespread in the coming years. Just by making a few small changes you can help reduce the amount wasted. Read on for our top tips to save water.

How much water do we use?

• In the UK, each person uses 155 litres of water a day which is approximately 70% more than 30 years ago
• In developing countries each person uses only 20 litres a day
• 1/3 of all household water is used flushing the toilet
• People flush the toilet an average of  5.2 times a day.
• Dishwashers and washing machines used over 500 billion litres of water in the UK in 2000 alone (94% was used by washing machines). Recent predictions show that consumption is set to rise by an additional 100 billion litres by the year 2020.
• Just taking a five minute shower instead of a bath, will use a third less water.  This could amount to a saving of up to 400 litres a week!
• A dripping tap could waste as much as 140 litres a week

The areas in which we use the most water

*Figures based on bucket with a 5 litre capacity

Top tips on how to save water

General Tips

• Ensure that everyone in your household knows where to find the main water shut-off valve or stopcock. If a pipe bursts this simple knowledge could save untold amounts of damage to your home and gallons of water!  It’s normally to be found under the sink in the kitchen, hallway or garage. Test it when you have located in to make sure it is working and actually does turn on and off.
• Prevent leaking taps by turning them off fully and always replace washers as soon as possible if they start to leak.
•  Think about insulating all your pipes, hot and cold.  This is for two reasons, to prevent burst pipes in winter and to reduce the length of time waiting for the water to “run hot” when running the tap.
• Consider installing a water meter– This can save you money and water as you only pay for the water you actually use and having a way to monitor your usage will encourage you to economise. You may find that your water company will encourage you to have a meter installed, often free of charge. Tip: To make sure your meter isn’t leaking, turn off your water and take two readings a few minutes apart.  The should both be the same- If they are different you may have a leak. 

In the Kitchen

• Keep a jug or bottle of water in the fridge so that you always have refreshing, cool water to drink without the need to run the cold tap wastefully down the sink until it’s cool enough.
• When making a cup of tea or coffee, only boil the amount of water you need rather than filling up the kettle. This will save water, electricity and time spent waiting for it to boil!
• Wash your fruit and vegetables in a  bowl of water rather than running them under the tap.
• Try to re-use cups and glasses where possible to cut down on the number of times you run your dishwasher each day.
• Choose the correct size pans for what you are cooking. Overly large pans require more water to fill than may be necessary. .

Washing up

• Try to avoid rinsing dishes in the sink before loading them into your dishwasher.  In most cases this is unnecessary unless the food debris has had a chance to dry out overnight etc.
• Make sure that your dishwasher is fully loaded before you switch it on as it is more efficient than when half full and uses less water and energy as a result.
• If buying a new dishwasher, choose a model that is more energy efficient as this will save on water and electricity. Look for  ‘A’ rated machines as these are the most economical.
• If washing up by hand, you can use less water by turning the hot tap down, rather than the cold tap up, if you require cooler water.

Washing clothes / laundry

• Try to use your washing machine only when you have a full load – this uses less water than washing two half full loads. Alternatively, some machines have a half load button which you should use if available as it will use less water accordingly. The average wash will use about 95 litres of water so there are savings to be made here.
• Hand washing woollen or delicate items does just as good a job as machine washing and will save several litres of water.

In the Bathroom

Baths, showers and sinks

• When running a bath, check the temperature as it fills up rather than wait until it’s full only to find it’s too hot.  This reduces the amount of cold water you need to add.
• Take showers instead of baths as they generally use a third less water. 
• If you don’t have a shower, the installation costs could be recouped quickly from the savings you make if you’re on a metered supply. Tip: Fit a standard shower not a fast flow “Power Shower”, as this could consume more water than taking a  bath.
• Fit your shower with a water-efficient showerhead.
• Try to keep your showers under 5 minutes. This will amount to a saving of around 1,000 gallons a month and streamline your morning routine!
• Turn the water off while you wash and condition your hair to save over 50 gallons of water per week.
• Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth and rinse using a glass of water. You can save about 4-9 litres by doing this.
• When fitting a new bathroom suite you could save money if you take into account how much water it would take to fill the bath or sink and flush the toilet.
• When shaving rinse your razor in the sink instead of under a running tap.
• Throw tissues in the bin instead of flushing them to save the gallons you would use each time you flush.

Toilets

• If your bathroom was installed prior to 1993 you probably have a larger type toilet cistern.  These use around 7-9 litres per flush. Not to worry though, there are are several devices available to reduce the flush volume such as the “Save-a-flush / Hippo” which is basically a bag of harmless crystals that goes in your cistern. Check with your water company as many of them will provide you a device or gadget free of charge.
• Toilet cisterns installed after 1993 should be water efficient models and as such don’t need a cistern device. The typical slimline toilet cistern has a 4.5 litre flush.

In the garden

General

• Do not use a mains water hose to water your garden. Purchase and install a water butt instead to collect rain water from your roof gutters for use on the garden.  Rainwater is better for your plants as it does not contain chemicals and additives such as fluoride. Some water companies or local authorities will give you the chance to buy a water butt at a reduced price.
• Use a watering can without the rose fitted to water your plants as this will ensure that the water reaches the plants roots.  It’s not advisable to do this with young or delicate plants such as seedlings however.
• Avoid using sprinklers if you can as they can be very wasteful. A sprinkler can use as much water in an hour as a family of four will use in a day.
• You don’t have to water your lawn more than once a week even in hotter weather.  The secret to retaining a green lawn is the following

1. Aerate it thoroughly punching holes 6 inches apart to allow water to the roots, rather than running off the surface.

2. Allow your grass to grow a little longer which will reduce the need for watering.

3. Water it in the morning or evening to reduce evaporation and maximise the water getting to the roots. (This applies to the rest of your garden too)

• Don’t over-water your garden as your plants will produce shallow roots at the surface rather than strong deep roots seeking out water.
• Mulch your plant borders with tree bark or compost to keep the sun off and retain moisture

If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to save water then please leave a comment below.

Image credits (in the order in which they appear)

parthisix, Rubbermaid Products, stevendepolo, Christopher Craig.