PATH - A Public Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology
[IMAGE: At the end of September, about 43% of the contiguous United States was in moderate to extreme drought.]Water Conservation in and
Around the House
For many people, water is in short supply. At the end of September 2007, about 43 percent of the contiguous United States was in moderate to extreme drought, according to the
National Climate Data Center. The Great Lakes Huron and Michigan are about 2 feet below their average long-term levels. Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are fighting over water in a river basin that feeds all three states.
With this news, PATH revisits ways that we can all conserve water in and around the home. Remember, though, water conservation is not just for times of drought. Conserving water is simple and inexpensive. Using water wisely gives us more flexibility in future water shortages and reduces long-term maintenance costs.
[IMAGE: Fixing leaky faucets and plumbing joints can save up to 20 gallons per day per leak.]Inside
Install low-flow fixtures and
ENERGY STAR® appliances everywhere you can. Unhappy with aerators?
Laminar flow fixtures are available that significantly reduce water usage without compromising performance.
Fixing leaky faucets and plumbing joints can save up to 20 gallons per day per leak. That's enough water to do a load of laundry (in an ENERGY STAR washer) every day. Use the Water Wiser
®
Drip Calculator to find out exactly how much that leak is leaking.
- If you wash dishes by hand, use the least amount of detergent possible. This reduces rinsing time.
If you have a double sink, fill one sink with rinse water instead of running the faucet continually.
If you use a dishwasher, get an
ENERGY STAR model and only wash full loads.
Instead of running the garbage disposal, which uses a lot of water, start a
compost pile. You'll save 50-150 gallons per month and create top-notch fertilizer for your garden.
- Replace your old 5-7 gallon per flush (gpf) toilet with a new low-flush or dual flush model to save about 1,000 gallons every month. Check out the many types of high-efficiency toilets now available.
- Check for toilet leaks by placing some food coloring in the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fixing that leak can save 400 gallons per month.
- Don't let water run down the drain waiting for hot water to arrive. Install a hot water recirculation system. These systems use sensors and a pump to quickly deliver hot water to the faucet while recirculating the cooled water in the pipes back to the water heater. The system costs less than $400 installed and can save a family of four up to 12,000 gallons of water a year. That's almost as much water as you'll drink in your whole life!
- A simpler savings technique in the bathroom: place a bucket in the shower with you to catch excess water. Use this water to flush the toilet.
- Don't let the water run when shaving, brushing your teeth, or washing your face. Just turning the water on when you need it saves over 3,000 gallons per year.
Outside
- Put a thick layer -- at least one inch but not more than three inches thick -- of mulch around trees and other plants to reduce evaporation and cut down on watering. This can save 750-1,000 gallons per month.
- Rainwater harvesting, collecting rainfall in barrels or cisterns for later use, significantly reduces the amount of tap water used to maintain the landscape.
- Water your lawn wisely. If you step on the grass and it springs back up, it doesn't need watering. If it's raining, turn off the automatic sprinklers. Wind and excessive heat increase evaporation, wasting up to 300 gallons per watering for large lawns. The best time to water is around dawn, when it's still cool. Watering in the cool of evening can foster overnight mold growth.
- Consider installing a "smart" irrigation system. Unlike simple timer-based controllers, "smart" controllers monitor site conditions (soil moisture, rain, slope, plant type, and more), and use this information to apply the right amount of water to maintain healthy growing conditions. Some systems use local weather station data, others use sensors placed in your very own garden.
Plant native species that have evolved to appreciate the local soil and climate conditions. This means less watering (and less weeding) for you.
- Sweep the driveway and sidewalk instead of hosing them off. Hoses run about 10 gallons per minute. A 15-minute chore done once a week wastes 7,800 gallons of water a year.
- Take the car to a carwash that recycles its wash water; many of them do.
- If you want to wash the car yourself, use water sparingly, and direct rinse water onto the lawn to get two chores finished at once. But keep in mind, even the most careful home car washer uses almost twice as much water as a commercial car wash; 80-140 gallons at home compared to about 45 gallons at the carwash.
- Be careful changing your oil. One quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water, effectively removing it from our fresh water supply. That's enough water to make 4.5 million cups of coffee.
[IMAGE: Teach the kids about water conservation in the home and on-line.] Want to teach the kids about water conservation? Visit the Water Family, the on-line water conservation game.
EPA WaterSense: Efficiency Made Easy
Earth 911 Water Conservation
Down (the drain) with Water-Hogging Bathrooms Builder/Architect September 2007
Content updated on 11/13/2007
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