Water Conservation

10 Tips on How to Save Water!

England and Wales have had two years of below average rainfall with total rainfall in the south east of England similar to the serious droughts of 1933-34 and 1975-76.

Some water companies in the south-east have imposed hosepipe and sprinkler bans to help conserve supplies. Saving water at home, in the garden, or at work, takes very little effort, but makes a BIG difference.

By saving water you are not just conserving our natural resources you are also saving money, on both your heating bill and water bill.
1. Change to a water-saving showerhead -
   by changing your showerhead to a water-saving one you can reduce water wastage by up to 70% without losing your full flow. A normal showerhead use up between 18 to 40 litres of water per minute whereas a water-saving one use only 6.5 litres per minute.
2. Put a ‘hippo’ in your lavatory cistern -
   this will cut a 9 litre flush to 6 litres (many water companies supply these free of charge). A brick or plastic bottle will also serve this purpose.
3. Fix dripping taps directly -
   a leaking tap can waste as much as 90 litres of water per day.
4. Have a short shower instead of a bath -
   a shower only use a third of the water it takes to have a bath, excluding power showers that use the same amount of water as a bath.
5. Don’t let the tap run -
   when you are brushing your teeth turn off the water, by doing this you will save between 5 to 9 litres of water a minute.
6. Get a water butt -
   divert water from the roof or the shower into a rain harvester (like a water butt) and use it to flush the lavatory or for the garden.
7. Wash vegetables in a bowl -
   and save the run-off to water plants. Water that contains washing-up liquid can kill aphids on roses.
8. Chill a bottle filled with tap water in the fridge -
   this saves running the tap until the water is cold.
9. Fill it up -
   wait until you have a full load before using a washing machine or dishwasher. Use the minimum amount of water in kettles and saucepans.
10. Use a bucket when washing your car -
    even better is to use rain water or ‘grey’ (eg bath) water and only use one bucket for cleaning and one for rinsing.

For more information how you can save water both in your home and in your garden, visit the Environment Agency water resources website by clicking here.