Home Water Conservation: It’s Easier Than You Think
The merits of water conservation are many, and every gallon saved is a gallon that doesn’t have to be treated or purified again. While your larger community takes steps to reduce water consumption and save this limited resource, you can also practice water conservation in your own home.
- Stop leaks: Check faucets, pipes, toilets and other plumbing pipes and fixtures for leaks and fix them. Preventing even a few drops from leaking will, over time, conserve hundreds of gallons of water. Make sure you turn faucets off securely after every use and teach your children to do the same.
- Watch for spikes in usage levels: Monitor your water meter and monthly bills for unexpected or unexplained spikes in usage. This can often indicate a leak somewhere underground or in another location you can’t see.
- Switch to efficient fixtures: Replace existing faucets, showerheads, toilets or toilet hardware, and other fixtures with more efficient low-flow models that reduce the amount of water used.
- Use dishwashers and clothes washers efficiently: Avoid rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Only run full loads of dishes and clothes. Consider replacing your existing dishwasher or clothes washer with a high-efficiency water-saving model.
- Insulate hot water pipes: Insulate hot water pipes to reduce the amount of time it takes for hot water to reach the faucet.
- Reduce overall water use: Take shorter showers and limit the use of full baths. Turn off water at the sink between soaping and rinsing hands, while shaving and while brushing your teeth. Limit the use of water for washing your car, driveway, house or garden furniture.
- Combine water-using tasks: Wash your car or your pets on the lawn and you’ll be able to complete these tasks and water the lawn at the same time.
- Adjust sprinklers: Make sure your lawn sprinklers are adjusted so that water lands on the lawn and not on sidewalks, driveways, streets or buildings.
For more information on home water conservation, contact us today at Sobieski Services.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).