Top Five Ways To Cut Your Water Bills

I came across H²ouse last night, a site developed by the California Urban Water Conservation Council, which I thought I would share. It has some very interesting ideas, tips and advice on cutting down on your water usage by maintaining or replacing various elements of your home. Check out the tour page for a room-by-room guide to what you can actually do. The site is so in-depth that it even covers future trends and legal regulations. Saving water doesn’t get as much attention as electricity but it is becoming increasingly relevant as you may have noticed in the news. Below I’ve summarized their top five actions for water savings.

• Stop leaks. A dripping tap might not initially seem like a big waste but put a bowl underneath it for a few days and see how quickly it fills up. Multiply that by a month (or however long it takes to get a water bill) and it will become apparent how significant those little leaks are.
• Replace your old toilet, the largest water user inside your home. Modern toilets are much more efficient. Try flushing old toilets from even just a few decades ago and you will see a big difference. One toilet at work is practically Victorian and it seems to be like a waterfall when it flushes.
• Replace your clothes washer, the second largest water user. Again, the same principle applies as with toilets. Old washers use up to twice as much water to do the same job! Make the most of the options on modern washers to set the appropriate temperature and cycle length for your clothes. That way it becomes even more efficient.
• Plant the right plants for your climate and landscape. This might seem minor but so much water can go into maintaining gardens, especially in hot climates. For instance, if your garden has many plants that are not at their best in hot, dry weather they are going to require a lot more water.
• Water only what your plants need. There is no need to soak flowers in water if they don’t need it. Also, if it’s a rainy season or showers are forecast do you really need to have your irrigation system on?