Ways Your Family Can Conserve Water at Home. And Lower Your bills

Anytime someone challenges my efforts at home water conservation, I invite
them to take a glance at my recent water bill and see the savings firsthand.
While one family’s water conserving efforts may not help to significantly
reduce its carbon footprint, every bit still helps. Additionally, if more
families make an effort, they will help inspire others to follow.

Our family of five (myself, my husband and our three kids) recently saved
almost $100 over a 3-month period by improving our water usage habits. The
amount of money you can save from conserving water at home depends upon how
many people live in your home and the number of water saving techniques you
implement.

Before you attempt to improve your water usage habits, set realistic goals
for your family. Call a family meeting to discuss the importance of water
conservation and highlight the plan you and your family will take to improve
your habits. Meet together once a week to review how each person did. Use
charts for younger children to track their improvements. Older kids may need
some reminders. In fact, at first, I needed to remind myself to implement
the changes. But after a few weeks, it all became second nature.

Bathroom
The most water used in a home is in the bathroom. There are two things you
can do to limit your bathroom water usage. The first, installing
water-saving devices, involves just you. The second, improving your habits,
involves you and your family.

Install Water-Saving Devices
Installing water-saving devices is simple and quick. There are a few devices
which can help reduce your water usage in the bathroom.

1) Low-flow faucet aerators, which can be installed for just a few dollars,
can be purchased at any home improvement or plumbing supply store. Low-flow
aerators help decrease the amount of water flowing from your faucets.

2) Low-flow showerheads also decrease the amount of water used by delivering only
1.6 gallons of water per minute (instead of conventional shower heads that
deliver 4-5 gallons per minute).

3) Convert your toilet into a dual-flush toilet with an inexpensive flush
adapter kit. These kits can be purchased for under $100 and will provide you
with a full-flush or half-flush option. If you are in the market for a new
toilet, choose a high efficiency toilet with a dual-flush option.

Better Habits
There are several ways to improve your bathroom water usage habits. First,
keep a stopwatch in the bathroom and have your kids record the amount of
time they use water to brush teeth and take a shower. Offer a reward system
for decreased times.
. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. According to the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you can save up to 8 gallons of water
per day by doing so.
. Teach your kids to choose showers over baths. My kids started taking
showers at age 5 (with assistance). Showers use much less water than baths,
as baths typically use 5 times the amount of water that showers do. Toddlers
should be encouraged to take baths with limited water. If you teach your
children while they are young to use limited bath water, it will become
second nature. For teenagers and adults, decrease the time you are in the
shower and turn off the water while soaping up and shaving.
. Don’t use the toilet as trash.

Kitchen
. Dishwashing – Turn the faucet off while scrubbing dishes. Turn the faucet
back on to rinse them.
. Dishwasher – Use the dishwasher for full loads only. Manually rinse dishes
before placing them in the dishwasher. This is a great chore for kids, as
you don’t need to worry about the dishes getting washed properly. A manual
pre-rinse will help avoid the need to run the pre-wash cycle.
. Keep a pitcher of cold water in the fridge to avoid your kids running the
tap while waiting for the water to get cold.

Laundry
. Encourage everyone in the family to wear un-soiled clothes more than once.
This will help contribute to less frequent loads piling up awaiting your
washing. This, in turn, will reduce your water usage.
. Always select the proper water level for your loads.
. If you are in the market for a new washing machine, choose an Energy Star
approved washer for highest efficiency standards.

Landscaping
. Limit the amount of time you water your lawn. Water your lawn only in the early morning to avoid quick
evaporation from the hot sun.
. Consider harvesting rainwater. It involves collecting and storing
rainwater in a barrel and then using it for your lawn and garden. Get your
kids involved by creating a rainwater collection system together, including
decorating the barrel together. The Web is full of great ideas for doing so.
. Create a low-water landscape: Plant only native and drought-resistant
plants, reduce the amount of turf in your yard by placing mulch or planting
ground covers and use a drip irrigation system instead of a sprinkler
system.

Your kids will learn an invaluable lesson from applying water conservation
techniques at home. The lesson will teach them respect for you, for money
and for the environment. Summer is a great time to get your family on board,
when the kids are home from school on vacation. Start today and you’ll start
to see the savings!

Written by Marcy Tate.
Marcy is a home improvement blogger at Networx. She works with plumbers on practical ways homeowners can save water.