Celebrate World Water Day With These Water Efficient Tips
World Water Day is March 22, and the perfect time to reevaluate how you can better improve the environment by becoming more conscious of water usage within the home. Our lives are always evolving, and the space in which you reside is no exception. Upgrade your home and lifestyle in order to save water, live more sustainably, and improve your quality of living.
Get smart with your upgrades
There are plenty of small ways you can quickly impact your home’s water usage without breaking the bank or committing to a larger scale renovation project. Installing water-conserving gadgets is a low-cost way to upgrade your home. Smart, high tech shower heads can help you track your water usage from a mobile phone app, and most offer additional features allowing adjustments to water flow. Touchless faucets are easy ways to ensure that you’re not using more water than necessary when brushing your teeth or washing dishes. In fact, motion sensor faucets can conserve up to 50 percent on water use.
Be proactive with leaks
According to an article published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average household leak can account for 10,000 gallons of water each year. In addition to tremendous water waste, unattended leaks can lead to other costly repairs due to mold and severe damage to flooring and fixtures.
Educate yourself on the signs of a leak to ensure that you identify the problem before too much waste and damage is caused. If there is a leak in your shower, you may notice low water pressure. Leaks associated with sink areas may be characterized by rattling sounds when in use or slow drainage. Another obvious sign of a leak is a pool of water around a sink or toilet area. If you feel like the leak is beyond your personal DIY abilities, employ the help of a local plumber in order to restore your home to its rightful state.
Go Tankless
Tankless water meters are a great home upgrade to consider, especially once you’ve started making strides in conserving your daily water usage. Homes that use less than 41 gallons of hot water a day can experience a 24 to 34 percent increase in energy efficiency by switching to a tankless meter.
Although the tankless option may be initially more expensive, these meters have a longer lifespan than traditional versions. Additionally, it’s much easier to fix broken parts on a tankless meter for cheaper than its tank counterpart. This will extend the life of your meter for little cost, and help you ultimately save 40 percent on your energy bill. The meter will surely pay itself off in the long run.
Stop “eating” water
Believe it or not, conserving water can start right from your fridge. Most people are unaware of how much their “water footprint” is impacted by the foods they choose to buy during their regular grocery haul. Educate yourself on the various levels of water footprint to help you make educated decisions when restocking your kitchen.
Learning how to shop sustainably will allow you to indirectly conserve water by foregoing products that require an excessive amount of water resources to be produced. Buying locally sourced, seasonal produce is one way of minimizing your water footprint. Shopping organic or minimizing animal and dairy products is another way to dramatically reduce the consumption of water- livestock operations require excessive water resources in order to effectively produce your favorite grocery buys.
Be mindful
By far, the easiest way to conserve water this World Water Day is to simply practice mindfulness. Turn off the faucet when you’re brushing your teeth, only turning it on to wet the bristles and again to rinse. Only flush the toilet when disposing of solid waste, tossing used tissues in the wastebin to prevent water waste. Small changes in your daily routine can allow the water saved to really add up. The Earth will thank you.
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