Small Changes, Big Results
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With minimal changes to the way we live out lives, we can reduce the consumption of the water in our households by 40%. If you spent $100 on your water bill last year, you'd only pay $60 for your water this year;
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Check your plumbing for leaks: a leak of only one drop per second wastes about 10,000 litres a year. Drips coming from a faucet are pretty obvious, but to check your toilet for leaks, put some food colouring in the tank. If the water in the bowl changes colour with flushing, you have a leaky toilet. A washer that costs pennies can save big dollars!;
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65% of all water consumption occurs in the bathroom. Luckily, this is one of the easiest rooms to retrofit in terms water usage. Replacing an older toilet with a newer, high-efficiency model can save up to 20,000 litres of water a year for the average Canadian family. Similarly, a older showerhead has flow rates up to 15 – 20 litres per minute. Low flow showerheads can cut that number in half. Making the change could save as much as 150 litres of water per shower. If you multiply by 365 days, the annual water savings would be 54,200 litres of water;
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Conventional faucets have an average flow rate of 13.5 litres of water per minute – installing low-flow aerator on the faucet can significantly reduce that flow. In the bathroom, about 6 litres per minute will do the trick and in the and in the kitchen 6 to 9 litres per minute should do it;
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Washing your car with a running hose can use up to 400 litres of water. By using a bucket of water and a trigger nozzle on your hose to quickly rinse off your car, you can save up to 300 litres of fresh water;
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Don't use the toilet as a garbage can, flushing items that could be disposed of in another manner. Depending on the toilet, you're wasting anywhere from 6 to 20 litres of water per flush;
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In summer, use a sprinkler that lays water down in a flat pattern instead of one that oscillates. Oscillating sprinklers lose about 50% of the water they disperse through evaporation. Another option when it comes to the lawn and garden is to use a rain barrel to collect water;
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Find out how much water your lawn really needs. As a general rule, most lawns and gardens require little more than 2 to 3 centimeters (1 inch) of water per week. To reduce loses due to evaporation, water early in the morning (after the dew has dried).
