Water conservation essentials for a large family home.
Caring for our environment doesn’t just begin and end with switching to green energy and reducing your home’s electricity consumption. While these are undoubtedly an excellent place to start, there are numerous other things you can do to also lower your household’s carbon footprint. One of those things is water conservation.
An average family usually wastes enormous amounts of water on a daily basis which only lowers supplies of this precious finite resource. If you have a big family, however, these numbers are even less favourable. So, if you’re looking into different ways you can start caring for your environment, here are some you can try out that will reduce your family’s water consumption. This way, not only will you be saving water, but you’ll also be teaching your children not to be wasteful which will bring forth some invaluable results in the future.
Replace your toilets
An older, average toilet usually uses around 3.5 gallons per flush which is definitely a lot of water, especially in a large household. So, the first thing you can do in order to reduce your water waste is to replace your old toilets with newer dual-flush low-flow alternatives. These units not only use significantly less water when flushed, but they also allow you to control the amount of water you want to use per flush – significantly less water is being used when flushing liquid waste compared to flushing solid waste. The low-flow dual flush toilet uses around 1.6 gallons for solid, and around 1 gallon for liquid waste which makes a considerable difference in the amount of water used at the end of the month.
Use washing machines responsibly
Washing machines, both laundry and dishwashers usually consume large quantities of water. No matter the programme you select, an old washing machine will use anywhere between 29 to 45 gallons of water, while an old dishwasher will waste around 8 gallons. Compared to that, newer models use 15 to 30 gallons for washing laundry and around 4 gallons for the dishes. So, it becomes quite obvious that you should also consider replacing these appliances with newer models that will not only save water but electricity as well. Furthermore, make sure you load both of the machines to their capacity before you turn them on, as turning them on half-empty is quite wasteful, both energy and water-wise.
Make sure there are no leaks
Any sort of leak, be it a leaky pipe, a drippy faucet or a leaky toilet will only contribute to water waste. That’s why your next concern should be getting rid of any such issues. Aside from hiring an expert plumber to inspect all of your water features to ensure everything is in good condition, you should also make sure you do so regularly to avoid any unpleasant surprises. For instance, this Northern Beaches plumber suggests that regular maintenance can considerably reduce the chances of something going wrong which is definitely something you can benefit from in the long run.
Rethink the shower
Showers are usually in the third biggest water wasters, right after toilets and washing machines. An average shower uses around 18 gallons of water for a 10-minute shower which, when applied to all family members only once a day can amount to significant water consumption. That’s why you should consider replacing your regular showers with the ones that contain aerators and try to teach every member of your household to reduce their shower times. This will not only significantly cut your household’s water waste, but it will also considerably lower your utility bill.
If you’re looking for ways to make your household greener, reduce your monthly expenses and teach your kids some valuable environmentally-friendly responsibilities, these tips are a good starting point. There are, of course, many other ways you can reduce the impact both your household and your family have on the environment, but starting off with water conservation is always a great idea.
Author BIO
If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out LinkedIn.