In the UK, the average person uses 142 litres of water a day, and almost a third of that is wasted! A household can save around £472 per year on their bill by making small changes to save water. Here’s a quick guide to help you to save water.
Is it better to have a bath or a shower?
Do you prefer having a bath over a shower? If so, we’re afraid to tell you that your water bill is a lot higher than it could be! Just swapping one bath with a 4-minute shower per week can save you up to £20. Having a bath uses approximately 90 litres of water, whereas a shower uses approximately 9 litres a minute, making it more efficient to have a quick shower.
Do you have a habit of leaving the tap on?
Is it necessary to leave the tap running when brushing your teeth? NO! Leaving the tap running is a complete waste of water, in fact, it wastes around 4 gallons of water. That’s the equivalent of more than 7 bottles of milk going down the drain!
Being more aware of what water is wasted and how to reduce this waste can have an impact on the global water supply. Water scarcity is already prevalent, particularly across Northern Africa and the Middle East. With the problem predicted to increase it is estimated that more than half of the world’s population will reside in water stressed areas. This means that as the population continues to increase, water increasingly becomes more scarce and the water we waste could be water that could be used by someone else.
Ensure the dishwasher and washing machine are always full!
Using the dishwasher is generally more efficient than washing up by hand. A typical dishwasher run uses between 13 to 30 litres of water, whereas washing by hand you are more likely to leave the tap running with hot water as you rinse them. To be even more efficient, next time you get a new dishwasher go for an energy-efficient one!
Feeling like you’ve always got the washing machine on? Putting the washing machine on without using it to its full potential can lead to you putting on more loads than are needed as well as wasting so much extra water.
To be more efficient with your water usage, ensure that each washing load is full before putting it on. This not only saves you time by reducing the number of loads you put on but also saves water and reduces your cost.. The average machine costs you 50p for each load, so doing 10 loads instead of 5 loads will cost you £5, instead of £2.50, and this doesn’t include the amount it costs to dry!
Reuse water!
Leftover water in the kettle? Or finished boiling something on the hob and about to throw away a pan of water? Think again! All this water that would otherwise be wasted could be used instead of getting fresh out of the tap. Using this water once it’s cooled can be great to water your plants or rinse your fresh fruit and veg, being a much more efficient way than re-running the tap.
While waiting for the shower to heat up, use a bucket to catch the cold water that comes out first. This water can be used for when you’re boiling the kettle or a pan.
Be water efficient! Only use costly appliances like the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer when it is full! This means when water is used, you are getting the most out of the water, reducing the amount of waste that comes with it.
Collect rainwater. By collecting rainwater using a rain barrel, the water that accumulates can be used for watering your plants or lawn or even to wash your car! Rainwater is a free resource to use, so why not use this instead of running a tap.
🪴The Environmental Impact
There are so many benefits to saving water, particularly for the environment. The first major benefit of saving water is saving energy. Tasks as simple as running the tap require energy for water to be heated, pumped and filtered ready for it to be used. As the UK population uses over 14 billion litres of water each day, just imagine how much energy could be saved if we cut back on our water consumption! For a household, while using less water costs less, it also reduces your energy consumption, helping you to save even more £££’s.
By saving water (and subsequently energy), your carbon footprint can also be reduced. Your carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of greenhouse gases that you produce. This is extremely important because it helps to understand the impact daily activities have on the environment, wildlife and climate change. Other ways you can reduce your carbon footprint includes eating less meat, taking less flights and drying your washing on a line outside.
I know they might try and sell you a bathroom, but this article by Drench highlights some great ways you can recycle water!! Read the article here.
Interested in becoming more environmentally efficient? Read this to see how you could be more environmentally efficient with your energy usage and save money at the same time!
Find out even more about saving water by checking out these links:
Why we should all be saving water!