Ways to Conserve Water All Year Round
- Written by News Co
As the population continues to grow and the demand on fresh water continues to increase, it is important to ensure that we all do our part with conservation. The environment’s capacity to produce water is steadily decreasing so this means we need to use what we do have very wisely. Australia has droughts as part of the annual cycle and there is no indication that that will change in the future. There are certain times of the year when people are encouraged to conserve water and when everyone does their part, the collective effort goes a long way to alleviating shortages. These simple steps in your home can help you to do your part by minimizing your consumption of water and lessening its wastage.
Conservation in Your Kitchen
Get a Dishwasher: Washing your dishes by hand does utilize much less water than a dishwasher cycle. Handwashing dishes will use around 18 litres of water where using a dishwasher will consumer up to 20 litres per cycle. A dishwasher that has a WELS rating of 4.5 starts will consume around 15 litres of water in the cycle, so it stands to reason that using a dishwasher will save you time and help to lessen your water consumption.
Compost Outside instead of Using a Garburator: In sink garbage disposal appliances increase water usage. It can also fill up the septic system and increase the costs of maintenance. Also, Garburator or waste disposal units can lead to blocked drains, so be careful.
Add Aerators to Your Faucet: An aerator introduces air to your water flow and results in powerful sprays which mean that you will require less water and this can also low your water consumption. Use one mixer tap with a single lever which lets you control the temperature of the water and mix it together.
Rinse Fruit and Vegetables in a Full Sink: If you run water to rinse these your food, you will use a lot more water than necessary.
Save Water in Your Shower
A shower that lasts seven minutes will use between 50 and 65 litres of water. If you have an older showerhead you can add another 10 litres to that total. A low-flow showerhead allows you to use several gallons less per minute and this means that you will save upwards of 20 litres of water on average. A shower time helps you to keep an idea of how much time you have been in the shower because it is very easy to lose track of time when you are in the shower. If you have a time it can help you to limit the time you spend. If you are really wanting to save extra water, shut off the tap while you lather up and turn it back on to rinse. Limit your shower time to 4 or 5 minutes and use a WELS rated showerhead to conserve water.
Save Water With Your Toilet
A massive amount of water is used every time you flush your toilet. If you only have a single flush toilet, you are using upwards of 10 litres per flush. If you have a dual flush toilet, the lower volume flush only uses 3 litres for the half flush while the full flush uses up to 6 litres. If you have several people living in your home, then you are probably flushing the toilet frequently and the water usage will quickly add up to a substantial amount. Use the toilet for human waste, not to flush tissues, food scraps and cigarette butts. Your toilet is not a garbage disposal unit and should only be used for human waste and toilet paper. A float booster in your toilet tank can help you to save water as well. Once the tank fills and the float touches to inside lid, the water is automatically turned off. A dual flush toilet can help you to save as much as 70% of the water that you normally use when you flush a toilet. This can help you to have lower water bills.
Ways to Decrease Water Use With Laundry
About 14% of the water utilized in an Australian home is used in the laundry. If you have a lower efficiency washer you might be wasting upwards of 450,000 litres of water. If you change the methods you use for washing your clothes, you can lower this waste. Wash only when you have a complete load to wash or, if your washer has it, use a half-load setting and make sure that the water level is right for the load you are washing. Your clothing comes out the cleanest when you have a full load. Do your laundry one time per week. This will save 120 litres of water. If you have delicates, consider washing them by hand, it is so much gentler on your clothing and will help them to last longer. If possible, purchase an HE washer or a high-efficiency unit. This type of appliance helps you to save as much as 35% water. Your washing machine should have a WELS star rating of at least 5 stars.
These are just a few household tips to help you to save water inside of your home. There are many tips to saving water outside of your home as well, but starting inside is important to ensure that you keep your water bills low and do your part with water conservation, since the less water you use, the more there is to go around to other households in your area.
