Water footprint is the new carbon footprint. Whether we agree with it or not, that is the environmental reality of the present, and most definitely that of the future.
In the past few years, you have probably been spending time trying to make sure your kids always turn the lights off, don’t leave the television switched on when they’re not watching it, and haven’t got the heating turned up to full for no apparent reason.
Your next target is the clear stuff that is essential to life and can be accessed instantly at the turn of a tap. You’ve probably been showering instead of taking a bath for years – although this might be because of the quickness and efficiency rather than water saving – but the time is now for starting to make a real difference with the way you use water around the home.
Here are some small ideas, yet ones that will bring you significant water savings.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Rather than get into a full-scale scientific analysis of photosynthesis, we’re going to focus on the role water plays in making your garden look spectacular. What can you do outside to reduce your water usage?
- A water flow controller on your garden hose is an absolute necessity. If you’re one of these people who use a hosepipe to indiscriminately drench the whole garden, then you’ll be able to lop a significant chunk from your water bill. All you need to remember is that you only need to water the garden until it has what it needs; don’t do it for longer to compensate for the reduced flow!
- If you buy a water butt, you can reduce what you take from the mains water supply massively, potentially reducing it to nothing at all. Depending on where you live, you might be able to enjoy a further saving on your water bill, too, owing to you reducing water run-off from your premises.
Bathroom Opportunities
We’re going to hark back to the shower vs. bath match up here. Yes, taking a shower is probably saving you water, but not as much as it could do. A product such as a low flow showerhead can cut your water usage in half, and will make no difference to how clean you’re able to get. The Agua Flux shop online has a wide range of products that will help you save a great deal of water.
Be Canny in the Kitchen
While you can get water flow controllers and aerators for the taps in your kitchen, there are savings to be made everywhere you look in this particular room, and with several different appliances, too!
- The washing machine and dishwasher are your big opportunities here; never use them unless they are full. These appliances might be clever, but they don’t reduce water usage just because they’re half-full!
Away from your plumbed in appliances, most of the other opportunities for water saving come down to common sense. Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl rather than under running water, if you wash dishes in the sink, the same thing applies, and you should look to recycle ‘waste’ water as much as possible; the water from your vegetable washing would look great on the garden!
Significant Savings
Saving water is the next big issue on the environmental agenda. You can start doing your bit by putting these practices into action immediately, and enjoy the benefits you see in your bank balance as well as feeling good about your environmental impact.
Featured images:
- License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900438749.jpg
- License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://officeimg.vo.msecnd.net/en-us/images/MB900422809.jpg
Terance Nichols is a home improvement expert who has transferred his skills to address important issues such as water saving and general environmental conservation. Terance helps his clients to reduce their water usage and bills by as much as 60% by encouraging them to follow a range of initiatives.
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