10 Water Saving Tips for the Home

When most people think about energy savings, water rarely comes to mind because it is thought of as a renewable resource that we have unlimited supplies of. Many consumers have dug wells on their property so water usage is absolutely free except the costs involved in purifying it, while others pay a nominal fee each month to a local water company in order to have it piped directly into their home from the water treatment plant. The fact of the matter is that water is nowhere near an unlimited resource and one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century will be discovering ways to make fresh drinking water more available.

In the meantime, your residence can do its fair part by looking at ways to conserve water until technology dictates otherwise. This can be done in a variety of ways, ranging from installing efficient appliances, faucets, toilets, and showerheads to practical applications like shorter lasting showers and reducing settings on water heaters and washing machines. This guide will cover them all as it explains the top ten ways to reduce water use within your home.

1. Consider purchasing a new dishwasher

Older washing units were built for convenience, not practicality, and even top of the line models from five years ago pale in comparison to the efficiency of modern dishwashers. The savings in power alone will often pay for the unit over a year’s time, and the water consumption can be reduced by as much as 70% of what is required in your current appliances. Home Depot is currently offering 10% off Energy Star appliances and they will deliver and haul away your old dishwasher at no additional cost.

2. Reduce the amount of time spent watering your lawn

Now that the summer is fast approaching everyone wants thick, green lawns and watering them is the only way to effectively achieve that result. However, by watering the grass at night water has much more time to absorb into the soil and in turn will give you a great looking lawn much quicker than your neighbors. Since less is lost to evaporation there is no need to water as often, making this a sensible environmental decision as well.

3. Invest in a water efficient shower head

Many people are hesitant to change their shower head because they have a misconception that extra water flow means more bathing pressure. Nothing could be further from the truth, and this can be proven by sticking your finger over a water hose or faucet to better understand how water pressure is built. Some of the new shower heads use only a fraction of what traditional models require and they literally only take moments to install. Places like Plumber Surplus has hundreds of efficient models to choose from and some of the lowest prices found on the internet. When combined with Coupon Shack's additional coupons some of these models are a steal! The water reduction saved by using an efficient shower head will pay for your purchase the very first month alone.

4. Inspect your water main or well source frequently

As many contractors will attest, plumbing problems are fairly common within a residence and there a hundred different ways that a pipe or connection could fail. Sometimes these broken pipes happen outdoors and the problem will not necessarily become evident if it is a slow leak kept relatively under pressure. If your water bill has spiked up or a drop in water pressure has suddenly become evident, check around your water main for leaks. Although the water seeping into the ground may not appear harmful at first, it can speed up erosion and cause serious expenses if left unchecked for a long period of time.

5. Consider Switching to water efficient faucets

When spraying off dishes or washing our hands, the main thing needed is water pressure, or better put, air forcing the water out quickly. We have already discussed that using less water can actually translate to additional pressure with the right shower head, and it works exactly the same with kitchen and bathroom faucets. Online stores such as Homeclick have some beautiful faucets available that can give your kitchen an extra flair while being very conservative in terms of water usage. These models will also pay for themselves in practically no time once the energy savings are considered, so there is absolutely no reason not to make your bathroom or kitchen sink look fantastic with one of these new faucets.

6. Fix leaky toilets immediately

You may be surprised to discover exactly how much water can seep out of your toilet and down the drain on a leaky toilet. Some of the less efficient models can lose several gallons per hour and that is not even considering when you flush it. A new float assembly can be purchased for less than ten dollars at almost any hardware store and it can be installed in just a few minutes without any specialty tools available. Once the assembly is installed, adjust the settings so that your toilet does not use as much water per flush, which gives an additional instant savings to water usage.

7. Consider a tankless hot water heater

Although this will not essentially save on your water usage, a tankless hot water heater eliminates the need to store hot water within your residence by heating it almost instantly. Since this is a major electrical savings each month (usually your second biggest draw on power within the home), expect a drop of $25 or more on your monthly electric bill…especially if you wash your clothing in hot water. Solar water heaters can also be a great way to go, since they often do not require any power usage at all. With Home Depot's same as cash financing the savings could easily equal your monthly credit card payment, which means that over time you will receive the hot water heater for free.

8. Contact your water company before filling up a pool

Many will be surprised to learn that water companies give large discounts if you notify them in advance that you are filling up a pool or spa and your water usage will be much higher for that month, so before doing so give them a call for some quick savings.

9. Wash your clothing in cold water

While it would seem apparent that hot water would have more stain fighting power (and it does), how many articles of clothing per load have caked in dirt and grime that need this extra cleaning advantage? If the answer is none, then that is how often you need to wash in warm water. In many homes this is the leading waste of electricity each month and it serves absolutely no purpose. Using hot water for every load is literally throwing your money away, and although the electric company may appreciate it your budget certainly does not. Some of the newer laundry machines have taken this to the next level by heating the water internally instead of drawing off your hot water heater, and Plumber Surplus has some fantastic specials on a few of the top of the line models that are currently on the market.

10. Think about the future

New technologies such as geothermal heat pumps use the Earth as your main source of power for heating your residence and your water supply, and leaps in solar power have been accomplished over the last few years with extremely efficient solar panels and high tech batteries to capture the power. Although this technology is just now becoming affordable for the established homeowner, it is sensible to consider these options if you are in the market to build a new home somewhere in the near future because of the massive savings and green energy associated with these decisions. These types of innovations can all but eliminate the need to remain on your local city’s power grid, and some of the most powerful solar cells can capture enough energy to sell back three time more power than you normally use within your residence. Eventually power and water utilities will hopefully become obsolete, but until then each of us has to save as much as possible to ensure our water reserves last well into the next era.