Is your water bill too high? Would you like to be more environmentally friendly? Either way, read more for easy tips to save water at home this summer:
1. Water Wisely
Water your grass in the evening or in the early morning to save water at home. When the sun is high, the water will evaporate quickly. Check your sprinklers to make certain you are not wasting water on saturating your driveway or sidewalk, too. Instead of sprinklers, use a more efficient drip irrigation system.
A DIS puts specific quantities of water exactly where you need it. You may even qualify for a rebate on your new system. If your grass is dead, replace it with a drought-tolerant garden that doesn’t require mowing or water. Your water company may even pay you for each square foot of grass you replace.
2. ‘Toilet Test’
Check your toilet for leaks. Drop a dye tablet or a couple of drops of food coloring into your toilet tank. If the dye appears in the bowl that means your tank leaks. The good thing is sometimes all it takes to fix the leak is a little elbow grease and an inexpensive rubber flapper made for the make and model of your toilet.
3. Be Mindful of Showers
Shorten your showers. Cutting only two minutes off of your shower time will save as much as 1,750 gallons of water per resident every year. Shut off the water while you shave or soap up your body. You can also install new, water-efficient faucets, showerheads, and toilets. Throw in an Energy Star washing machine and you’ll eliminate literally thousands of gallons of water waste annually. You might even score a rebate while you save water at home.
4. Save Water at Home with Your Dishwasher
Just use your dishwasher instead of washing your dishes by hand. An Energy Star-rated dishwasher uses only about three gallons of water per load. Washing your dishes by hand may take as many as much as 27 gallons.
5. Use a Pool Cover
If you are lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard, use the cover. This will keep the water from evaporating when you aren’t using it.
6. Go to a Commercial Car Wash
Don’t do it yourself, take your car to the car wash. Washing your car at home by yourself can potentially use 100 gallons of water, not to mention more time and more effort. Your neighborhood commercial car wash averages around 40 gallons of water per vehicle washed.
7. Rain Barrels
As long as it’s legal where you live, set up a rain barrel. Collect the rainwater that runs off your roof with a rain barrel under your rain gutter’s downspout. You can use the saved rainwater to water your garden or lawn.
If you are serious about saving lots of water for years to come, you can also invest in green infrastructure. This includes things such as rain gardens, porous pavements, green roofs, and other types of water-conserving concepts. This type of infrastructure will not only save water at home but can lower pollution levels and is cheaper than constructing new tunnels and tanks associated with more traditional water infrastructure.
AWP Home Inspections offers home inspection services including water inspection services such as water screening and analysis, well function inspections, and sewage function inspections. To schedule any of our services, contact us today.