Home Consumer Stop The Drip! Water Conservation Around the Home

Stop The Drip! Water Conservation Around the Home

conservation

Water conservation is a hot topic in the environmental community, but it should also be a hot topic for all homeowners and renters who are concerned with their monthly utility expenses.

A water bill can creep up and when it does, it often leaves homeowners bewildered at how a water bill could ever be so expensive!

Here are five ways to ensure efficient water conservation within the home, to the benefit of both the environment and your wallet.

  1. Be Aware of State-specific Water Restrictions

Certain cities and/or states have specific water usage restrictions, like Orlando, Florida that require homeowners efficiently practice water conservation in various capacities. Not only is it financially smart to avoid being in violation of such restrictions because of potential fines, but these restrictions can often offer a plethora of great ideas for conserving water around the house in ways that save money. 

  1. Update with Efficient Household Appliances

In many cases, poor water conservation practice is directly associated with outdated household appliances. These are sneaky money pits because most people use appliances for as long as they function in the hopes of saving money in the long run, but when appliances like washing machines and dishwashers become old and outdated their efficiency declines dramatically. This of course results in a steadily increasing water bill for the homeowner. This is a good reason to update to efficient household appliances. 

  1. Check for Leaks
(Image: Eric Norris/Flickr)

One of the best methods for water conservation is a mostly preventative one. Regularly check faucets and toilets for leaks, and if a leak is discovered it is important to immediately repair it. Leaky faucets and toilets often seem like nothing more than a nuisance, issues that are seemingly minor and not deserving of immediate attention, but the truth is that a single leaky faucet can waste thousands of gallons of water in a single year. That can hurt the wallet of any homeowner, not to mention be harmful to the local environment. 

 

  1. Shorter Showers
Image: espensorvik/Flickr)

Sometimes saving money and helping the environment is as simple as maintaining awareness of personal activities and the impacts of those activities on various things. Showers are notorious for being big-time culprits of wasting water.

Taking shorter showers can lead to much more efficient water conservation efforts, and if it is difficult to keep this in mind on a daily basis you can simply invest in a more efficient showerhead or one that lights up when a certain amount of water has been used, signifying that it may be time to towel off. 

  1. Grey Water

Water conservation is all about using less water, it’s also about using water to maximum effect. We regularly use water both inside and outside of the house. Water conservation outside of the house begins inside of it. Instead of disposing of grey water from inside the home re-purpose it for other uses such as watering plants.