5 Ways To Conserve Water In The Home And Yard

Just one leaking pipe can cost you thousands of dollars and waste a huge amount of water. You can lose 1,500 liters of water an hour if a pipe bursts!

Research shows that Australian households spent more than $5 billion dollars on water in 2013 – 2014! That’s a huge amount of water.

Here are 5 steps you can take to reduce your water consumption, helping your wallet and the planet in the process:

1. Check for Leaks

The first step must be to get the plumbing detectives in. They can assess every part of your home to check if there are any leaks or obvious overuses of water.

They will then be able to advise you regarding the best way to save water and save money.

The best part is the small charge for their service will be nothing compared to the amount you could save!

2. Rainwater

You might be surprised by how much water you actually use in your yard. Watering the plants, washing the decking and eve washing the car can consume thousands of liters of water every year.

But, most of these needs can be met if you simply collect your rainwater.

All you need to do is direct your downpipes into a water storage container. You can then access this every time you need water in the garden.

In fact, advanced systems can actually use this to provide water for flushing your toilet as well!

3. Watch Your Flush

Every flush of the toilet will use approximately 5 liters of water! You need to start thinking about when you flush. If there are very few of you in the household you might be happy to say flush on alternate urinations.

Most importantly you should never use the toilet as an ashtray and waste water getting rid of the evidence.

You can use old washing up water to flush the toilet, if you wish.

4. Aerators

These are clever devices which can be added to your shower and other faucets. They reduce the amount of water coming out of your tap but, at the same time, increase the amount of air bubbles.

The result is the flow feels the same but the water usage is much less!

For example a low flow aerator will restrict your shower to 2.5 gallons of water a minute, that’s approximately half the average output!

5. Watch Usage

The simplest way of saving water is to monitor what you use it for. For example, when you brush your teeth do you leave the water running? Do you do the same when wet shaving?

Go through a normal day, making notes regarding your water usage as you go. You’ll be surprised at how many opportunities there are to conserve water.

It is also worth looking at whether to invest in a dishwasher instead of washing by hand; they can use less water if used efficiently.

Water is a precious as well as expensive commodity. With a few simple actions you can save the planet and reduce your monthly expenses!