6 ways to save water at home
Climate change and extreme weather mean that our water supply is becoming more and more unpredictable. Looking for ways to save water at home? Good Homes magazine, in association with Quooker, reveals six easy ways to save water at home…
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The average person in the UK uses 142 litres of water per day – that’s nearly two full baths of water.
Campaigners for sustainable water use have called for the Government to adopt a national target to bring personal water use below 100 litres per day by 2050 – that’s 43 litres less than we’re currently using.
So how can you reduce your daily personal water usage by 33-43 litres? First, use the below water calculator to see how much water you use…
How much water do you use at home?
Water saving tips
1. Change your showerhead
Power showers are water guzzlers, using around 15 litres of water per minute. Given that the average shower lasts around 10 minutes, that’s up to 150 litres of water every time you shower. The average showerhead uses 12 litres of water per minute, whereas a low-flow showerhead uses around 6 litres per minute. Therefore, switching to low-flow will save up to 50% on your water usage. You could also opt for an aerated showerhead, which reduces the flow without compromising on pressure by mixing air with the water. It’s worth noting that filling a bath a third of the way up requires about 75 litres of water – so you could actually save water by having a bath instead of a power shower!
A long shower can use more water than having a bath. Photo: Ylanite Koppens on Pixabay
2. Fix dripping taps
Across the UK alone, some 460 million litres of water is lost through dripping taps every year – that’s enough to fill 184 Olympic-sized swimming pools. A single dripping tap wastes at least 5,500 litres of water a year. Fix the drip and you’ll not only save enough water to fill a child’s paddling pool every week of the summer, you’ll save money, too – a leak of one drip per second can increase your annual water bill by 6%.
3. Add to the load
Washing machines use 50-60 litres of water per cycle, so wait until you have a full load before using. While, traditionally, manufacturers have advised that washing machines should not be overloaded, better technology means that fuller is better. Not only will you use less water by doing fewer, larger loads, you’ll save energy – and therefore money too.
Fuller is better when it comes to running the washing machine. Photo PlanetCare on Unsplash
4. Reuse rain water
An average UK roof collects 85,000 litres of rain a year – that’s enough water to fill 450 water butts per year. Install a water butt in the garden and you can use that rainwater to wash your car or water your garden. Plus, rainwater is better for your plants. Not only do plants not like the chlorine in tap water, rainwater is more acidic, helping to release the micronutrients essential to plant growth, and contains more oxygen.
5. Keep an eye on that kettle
With a kettle, you often boil much more water than necessary. Some 70 million litres of boiled water are thrown away every day in the UK, but there’s no need to empty and re-fill the kettle every time. You could also invest in a boiling hot water tap. That way, you only use the exact amount of hot or boiling water you need. The Quooker COMBI reservoir provides both boiling and hot water, so you don’t need to boil the kettle or run the tap until the water’s hot enough.
With a boiling water tap, you only use the exact amount of boiling water you need. Photo: Quooker
6. Brush wisely
A running tap uses six litres of water per minute, so if you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth for the recommended two minutes, you’ll waste about 12 litres of water. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and you’ll save more than 4,032 litres of water a year. When it comes to rinsing, using a small amount of water in a glass is better than slurping from a running tap (not to mention more hygienic). And don’t forget to floss! In fact, if you had to choose between flossing and brushing, flossing is actually better for oral health if done correctly.
Want to find out more about saving water at home? See quooker.co.uk/save-water
