Household Water Conservation

Water Conservation

Tonight while reading the local annual water report I was reminded of the need for homeowners to be concious of water conservation. So as summer approaches and we use more water with lawns and gardens I thought I’d share some tips on water conservation.

Check your toilet for leaks. Most household water leaks are due to leaking toilets. Leaking toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons per day!
Fix leaking and dripping faucets. A slow drip on a faucet can cost $50 to $100 a year in wasted water. Be sure to check your outside sill cocks as well.
Use your water meter to check for leaks. Read the meter before and after a two-hour period when no one is using water. If the readings are not the same then you have a leak.
Replace old toilets with new ultra low volume (ULV) toilets. If your toilet was built before 1992 it is probably using more than 3-1/2 gallons per flush. Replacing old toilets will save almost 70% of the water used.
Don’t run the water while you brush your teeth or shave. Each person can save about 3 gallons per day or more than 1,000 gallons per year.
Replace your washing machine with a high efficiency model. High efficiency washing machines will save 40% of the water, 58% of the electricity and 50% of the detergent!
Lastly, don’t leave your garden hose running unattended. A garden hose can waste as much as 10 gallons of water per minute.

In addition to these tips I recommend you buy plants and grasses that don’t require lots of regular watering. It’s also helpful to use mulch in your garden and flower beds to help reduce the amount of water you need. You can also install rain barrels to save rain water from your roof to use later on plants and your lawn. Every little step helps and ensures that there is sufficient water supplies for everyone.

Todd Fratzel

I'm full time builder for a large construction company in New Hampshire. I run their design-build division that specializes in custom homes, commercial design-build projects and sub-divisions. I'm also a licensed civil and structural engineer with extensive experience in civil and structural design and home construction. My hope is that I can share my experience in the home construction, home improvement and home renovation profession with other builders and home owners. I'm also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Tool Box Buzz. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or you'd like to inquire about advertising on this site.

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BeWaterWise Rep says:
May 20, 2009 at 3:12 am
Yes it's very important that we all become more conscious about water consumption. Over the last few years, water level in many parts of the world have dropped significantly. Southern California and many other regions are facing fresh water shortages. Under such circumstances, we all need to make a conscious effort to save water. Thanks for the tips, they'll be very useful save water at home. Here are some more that I'd like to mention: http://www.bewaterwise.com/tips01.html Hope they are helpful too!