Trying to manage water conservation in your home and other properties starts with different solutions that you add to your home. Technology has made it so that you can reduce the amount of water that is wasted each year in your own home, helping save water conservation in a big way. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes that the average household wastes over 10,000 gallons of water a year, approximately. Below are ways to reduce that number much lower in your home.
Purchase Low-Flow Shower Heads
One of the best ways to improve your waterfowl during showers is by installing low-flow shower heads. Too much water is wasted regularly in the shower, and these can be installed in your home and any rental properties you have to reduce the amount of water being used. They don’t have an impact on the water pressure, just how much water is released, and are estimated to save several thousand gallons of water each year when they are used regularly. This will also reduce the amount of energy in your water heater. After all, heating water accounts for almost 18% of a property’s energy use in most cases.
Install Dual-Flush Toilets
Toilets get flushed a lot every day, and when you have one type of flush, there is a lot of water being wasted when it probably shouldn’t be. Dual-flush toilets allow you to only use minimal water to rinse out waste when there is only a little waste in the toilet. For larger flushes that have higher waste volume, you can opt for the second flush that will use the amount of water you need. Getting into this habit will encourage your family members or tenants to use them at the appropriate times, saving hundreds of gallons of water each year.
Install an Efficient Dishwasher
Most homes come equipped with a dishwasher these days. Older dishwashers will use a lot of water to wash a load of dishes, even if it isn’t full. More modern and efficient dishwashers only use a minimal amount of water to clean dishes, and some have the ability to sense how big the load is. Since you can select the load size, you can also expect that the dishwasher will use what’s needed for that load, and save thousands of gallons of water each year.
Update Your Washing Machine
Dishwashers aren’t the only appliances with modern technology. If you have your own washing machine in your home or the rental properties you manage, then you should opt for eco-friendly washing machines that will weigh the loads of clothes, and use water based on the size of the load. This keeps you from wasting thousands of gallons of water that were wasted annually by traditional washing machines. Those older machines would fill up completely for each load and use way more water than was necessary. They could also cause water damage to homes and appliances if they overflowed with this much water.
Add a Recycling System
Suppose you really want to improve your water conservation. The technology offered by a recycling system in your home will take the water that is used through these appliances and showers and reuse it in other areas. You can decide which water you want to save and reuse for other purposes, like toilet flushing, or watering plants in your yard. Since grass plants are 75% to 80% water, your lawn would greatly benefit from this usage of gray water. You wouldn’t use it as drinking water, but it can be repurposed so that you save gallons of water each month.
Start Taking Advantage of Water Conservation Practices
If you’re looking to improve your water conservation, make sure you take advantage of these different high and low-tech solutions. These options don’t cost a lot, and some are just upgraded options that you can make when it’s time to replace your appliances. Whether you do one or all, you’ll be improving the amount of water you’re saving each year.