In hot and dry countries such as Australia, there are strict rules for how much water you can use and when, making people aware of the need to save water. However, in the UK, with our wet weather and being surrounded by water bodies, we often take the water we have for granted. Most of us do not think twice about putting the dishwasher on every night, or having a longer shower when it is cold outside to warm up. But how much does our love of water add onto our energy bills? And what can we do to try and be more water smart?

Household usage

The average person in the UK uses 150 litres of water a day, a figure which is expected to rise steadily, resulting in an expected increase of 800 million litres of water a day by 2020 [1]. Not only is this high level of usage worrying, but it also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Water use has become a subconscious action, with many of us leaving the tap running while brushing our teeth, or using a running tap to wash the dishes instead of filling a basin.

Household bills

Only about 8% of people realise that their water use plays an important part in their energy costs – heating water accounts for a whopping 24% of the average household’s heating bills [2]. Boiling kettles for cups of tea, having a hot shower or running the washing machine all help make up this 24%. When boiling kettles, filling the kettle with more water than you need means that more energy is being spent heating unnecessary water. Half empty dishwashers and washing machines also add unnecessary costs to bills. Running an inefficient, faulty or old boiler means more energy is required to heat the same amount than an A rated or energy efficient boiler would use.

How much do you use?

Working out your water consumption by hand would be a nightmare, but luckily there are now numerous calculators online which can do it all for you in a flash!

The Energy Saving Trust provide a Water Energy Calculator, into which you enter details about your household usage of various appliances and habits, such as dishwasher and shower use, and energy ratings of boilers etc. The calculator then generates a report with your results – showing water usage, energy usage, carbon emissions and total costs [3]. You can compare your water usage with the national average, and also get suggestions of how to reduce your consumption.

What you can do

There are numerous ways to save both water and money. From small changes such as turning off taps when not in use to larger investments such as installing a solar hot water heating system, there are solutions to meet every budget and time frame.

 Energy Saving Warehouse has a range of Water saving Products.

Bathrooms

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, washing your face or shaving.
• Invest in a water saving shower head. These work by making the water flow seem much higher than it really is, helping to reduce shower times. For a typical shower length of 8 minutes, up to 60 litres of water can be saved by a low flow shower head fitting [4].
• Dual flush toilets can help you to save – they typically use less than half the amount of water that an older flush system would use.
• If your household has a lot of baths per week, try getting everyone to replace one bath with a short shower instead.

Kitchen

• 8 – 14% of the total water used in a home goes towards the kitchen tap and dishwasher [5], so make sure that when using the dishwasher that it is as full as possible. When buying a machine try and match your household size to the capacity of the machine – if you live alone you do not need a machine with the capacity for a large family!
• Try to also fully load washing machines, and when purchasing a machine ask to see their efficiency and water ratings.
• If you like your drinking water cold, fill a jug or bottle and leave it in the fridge. Then when you feel like a glass of cold water, you only need to reach into the fridge, rather than having to run the tap till you get to your preferred temperature.

Outdoors

• Sprinkler systems are very water intensive – try and use them in the early morning or late evening rather than the middle of the day, to reduce evaporation.
• Apply mulch to your garden – by covering the surface of soil evaporation is further reduced.
• Collect rainwater – not only is it available many months of the year, it is also totally free!

There are numerous ways to try and save water, most of which just involve thinking for a moment about what you are about to do. By reducing the amount of water you heat and use, you could save money and time, and help the environment all in one.

References

[1] Environment Agency. Save Water. 2013. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/beinggreen/117266.aspx

[2] Energy Saving Trust. Saving Water. 2013. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Heating-and-hot-water/Saving-money-on-hot-water/Saving-water

[3] Energy Saving Trust. Water Energy Calculator. 2013. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Heating-and-hot-water/Saving-money-on-hot-water/Water-Energy-Calculator

[4] Green Your Home. Low Flow Taps and Showers. 2013. http://greenyourhome.co.za/index.php/2012-03-06-13-43-16

[5] Waterwise. Water Saving Advice and Tips.2013. http://www.waterwise.org.uk/pages/water-saving-advice-and-tips.html

These days in our household people use more than 70% of the water during toilet and bathroom activities. About 5 percent of all domestic water consumption runs from the water closet into the sink and eventually into the sewer. A shower timer is an easy and simple way to consider your water consumption. About 40 percent of all domestic water consumed is used to flush toilets. Its always an efficient way to capture and reuse the lavatory water. A United States water saving company called Water Saver Technology has developed AQUS.

AQUS is a simple system which uses water coming out from bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks to flush toilets (1). AQUS can help individual households, hotels, schools, commercial buildings, government structures and multi-family complexes save volumes of water. It is can be ideal for typical single and multi family homes, Corporate and Commercial properties, Eco-friendly buildings, underprivileged water districts, water districts which provides conservative incentives.  It is hardly noticeable and there is no change to the normal operation of your lavatory sink and toilet. And it is also easy use: AQUS is simple to install and requires minimal annual maintenance.

It has been reported that AQUS can reduce metered water usage in a two-person household by about 10–20 gallons a day – or approximately 5,000 gallons a year(1).  In addition to water conservation Aqus helps save a lot of money, reduced water consumption charges and wastewater treatment or sewer fees.   According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, more than 4.8 billion gallons of water is flushed down U.S. toilets each day (2). The American Water Works Association estimates that if water–saving features were installed in every U.S. household, water use would decrease by 30 percent. That would reduce daily water used by about 5.4 billion gallons, resulting in $113 million dollar–volume savings a day (2).

The Household test results speak volume about this innovative technology. In 2004, Water Saver Technology conducted a 24 hour, 20 household tests to determine the various contaminants, and volume of fresh water which goes down to bathroom drains (3). The contaminant data was used to develop treatment options to make the reused water safe for pets and people. 6 households tested used in excess of 9 gallons of fresh water per day in their lavatory sink. The average of these was 12.5 gallons. The range of fresh water savings is between 3,500 and 6,500 gallons of fresh water per year and an equal amount of wastewater savings (3).  Another six households (30%) used between 6 to 8 gallons per day. This amounts to 2,200 to 3,000 gallons of fresh water per year and an equal amount of wastewater savings. The remaining eight households used less than 6 gallons per day.

This method serves as a great means to control water loss and encourage water conservation. As a result, it can be recommended to be applied in under developed countries in Africa and South Asia where water scarcity is a major issue. This technology can act as a major positive influence towards the uplifment of the standards of environment and public health.

There are other methods and products you can purchase that will help you save water within your home, have a look at Energy Saving Warehouse’s range.

(1) http://www.watersavertech.com/AQUS-System.html

(2) http://water.epa.gov/

(3) http://www.watersavertech.com/Household-Savings.html