According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 0.6 of the Earth's water is available for at-home use. Taking steps to conserve water at home doesn't just help the planet and lower your water and water heating bills, the EPA states that community-wide water efficiency measures can cut costs for water treatment and sewage facilities. Even taking just the simple step of replacing water fixtures and appliances can save up to $210 per year for a family of four.
Replace Appliances
Replace home appliances and fixtures, when possible, with Energy Star or WaterSense labeled products. An Energy Star certified clothes washer, for example, can cut your water costs by more than half when compared to a non-Energy Star machine, not to mention saving you money on your energy bills, too.
WaterSense fixtures, such as urinals, faucets, showerheads and toilets, all meet the Environmental Protection Agency's criteria for water efficiency. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household stands to save more than 2,300 gallons of water per year by installing WaterSense showerheads.
Run Full Loads
Wait to run the clothes washer and dishwasher until they're both full or, at the very least, make sure the machine is set to the appropriate water level when it's less than full. No matter how water-efficient your washing machine is, you'll still be saving the water from a full load every time you combine two loads of laundry or dishes into one.
Stop the Faucet
Train yourself to listen for the sound of a faucet running, then find a way to eliminate it. This means turning the faucet off when shaving or brushing your teeth, or stoppering the sink and filling it up to hand-wash delicates instead of letting the water run. Do the same thing when hand-washing dishes: Fill the sink or a tub with soapy water, then either dip the dishes in a sink or tub of clean water to rinse, or pile them in the sink and rinse them all at once.
Reuse Water
Never put water down the drain. Instead, save discarded drinking water and melted ice water from coolers for cleaning or watering plants.
Fix Leaks
According to American Water & Energy Savers, a single faucet dripping at one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water per year. They advise reading your water meter at the beginning and end of a two-hour period in which no water was used. If the meter doesn't read exactly the same at the end of the period as it did at the beginning, you have a leak. Tracking the leak down immediately will save both water and money in the end.
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