5 Ways to Conserve Water

Plumbing: One great practice for residential water users is the installation of an indoor plumbing fixture which saves water. You can also replace existing plumbing equipment with another type which would use less water. Low-flow plumbing fixtures are permanent. This is a 1 time measure of conservation that can be used automatically with little cost (if any) over their lifetime. Over the long term, they can even save the homeowner money.

Low-Flow Shower-heads: Did you know that 20% of total indoor water use comes from showers? Just by changing a standard 4.5-gallon-per-minute shower-head with a 2.5-gallon-per-minute head, a family of four can save approximately 20,000 gallons of water per year. The 2.5 gallon head costs less than five dollars. Remember that individual preferences do change shower flow rates.

Low-Flush Toilets: Residential use can account for about 3/4's total urban water demand. residential Indoor use accounts for 60%. Out of all that, toilets use nearly 40% Toilet bowls, shower heads, and sink faucets represent 2/3's of all indoor water use combined. More than 4.8 billion gallons of water is flushed down toilets each day in the United States. The average American household can use about nine thousand gallons of water to flush waste annually. By installing low-flush toilets in newly constructed or remodeled buildings, there is huge potential to reduce water usage. A regular flushing toilet bowl uses 3 - 5 gallons (in some cases more) of water per flush. Low flush toilets however, use 1.6 gallons of water or less. Low flush toilets help by using less water which in turn reduces the volume of waste water.

Toilet Displacement Devices: Plastic containers (such as a beverage container) could be placed inside the toilet tank and filled with water or something heavy to weigh it down. This reduces the amount of water that is used per flush. By placing 1-3 such containers in a toilet tank more than l gallon of water can be saved per flush. Always make sure that the containers do not in any way interfere with the flushing of the toilet. Using a toilet dam would hold back a lot of water as well when the toilet is flushed. This may be used also instead of a plastic container to help conserve water. Using a toilet dam can save 1 to 2 gallons of water per flush.

Faucet Aerators: A faucet aerator will break the flow of water into fine drops and entrain air while continuing the effectiveness of wetting. These are inexpensive items that can be installed in a sink all while reducing water usage. They are extremely easy to install and can reduce faucet water usage by as much as 60%. The flow of water however, will still remain strong. Instead of a standard faucet which could use 3-5 gallons of water per minute, you could also purchase a more efficient kitchen and bathroom faucet that would use only 2 gallons of water per minute.