What are the Best Ways for Santa Fe Homeowners to Conserve Water?
To satisfy society’s ever-increasing demand for water, we’ll need to make adjustments to our daily routines.
Now, with many of us spending more time in our homes, we’re using even more resources to keep our households running. Cooking at home is a wonderful way to save money and shelter in place, but it also means more dishes.
If you do go out, it’s a good idea to take a shower as soon as you get home to protect yourself from viruses. But this also contributes to excessive water use.
Water conservation at home is good for the environment and energy-efficient solutions and appliances can help you save money on your home insurance policy. Here are 20 ways that you can use less water in your home: You can also use the links at left to jump to water conservation in a particular room.
Kitchen Water Conservation
Run A Full Dishwasher Instead of Hand Washing
Energy Star-certified dishwashers use 30 percent less water than other models. Most modern dishwashers don’t require pre-washing dishes, so skipping this step can help you save even more water when you wash.
You can save 7,000 gallons of water each year. You’ll also reclaim time and energy to devote to another after-dinner activity.
Compost Can Be Used To Cut Down On Disposal
Store the water up in your kitchen and lawn by composting the scraps of your kitchen at home. Eggshells and vegetable scraps don’t need to go down the garbage disposal – they can head straight to your compost bin instead (no faucet needed).
Composting is an entirely customizable, at-home project, and the result is a nutritious soil feeder for your plants. This very crumbly topsoil will help sandy soils hold more water, so your yard or garden bed will need less water to thrive.
Reuse Cooking Water
Reuse the water instead of throwing it away – use them for your next batch of cooking or give the water to your plants! Pasta water is particularly safe to save and recycle and also gives depth and richness to your noodles.
Also try to save the water you use when washing fruits and vegetables when preparing food. This is great liquid gold to fertilize indoor plants or your garden bed.
Steam Instead Of Boil Vegetables
Not to mention, steaming your vegetables is more efficient – you’ll save water and they’ll be nutrient-dense. Boiled water releases nutrients into the water, so boiling it makes your veggies less healthy.
Soak, Don’t Rinse, Pots and Pans
For anything too large or grubby to fit in the dishwasher, skip the rinse and soak the item to loosen up food residue and stains. That’s because rinsing your pots and pans uses running water, which wastes 147 gallons of water a week.
Bathroom Water Conservation
Take short – instead of long – showers
On the other hand, bad news for tub aficionados: a full bath requires up to 70 gallons of water. But taking shorter showers can eliminate up to 45 gallons of that waste. Just keep rinsing off – replace that 30-minute soak with a 10-minute shower. [Read more spins]
Do not allow the water to run while brushing
It’s essential that you brush your teeth two times a day (and we can’t stress this enough) but by keeping the faucet off while you brush you can save 10 gallons of water a day. To avoid wasting even more water, try rinsing your mouth out with a cup instead of your hands after brushing.
Only flush when necessary
Harsh reality: The average American uses the most amount of water in a day when flushing the toilet. That said, experts recommend flushing only number 2, so if that’s not in line with what makes you comfortable just avoid sending random items down the porcelain god. Stay with human excrement and toilet paper.
Install a high-efficiency toilet
Older toilets consume between 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. And if you flush 10 times a day, it’s 10 times 7 per week: 70 gallons of water a day, just from your toilet. With a high-efficiency toilet, that water use is reduced to 1.28 gallons or less per flush.
Have regular checks for leaks in pipes and appliances
Don’t let leaky appliances waste 105 gallons of water in your bathroom. Appliances or pipes leaks are a big waste of water, and the most annoying thing is you don’t realize you are using it.
Laundry Water Conservation
Use Cold Water for Your Washes
Seventy-five percent of energy is consumed heating the water needed for the laundry process, and ninety percent if including the drying process as well. Use cold water whenever possible, warm water when some heat is needed, and this will save on energy costs.
Another effective way to save energy is to turn down your hot water tank: Aim for 120 degrees or lower. Switching from hot to cold water washes can save a household $40 a year.
Run Full Loads
Avoid the temptation to do a load of laundry when you have a few dirty items. Running full, instead of half, loads can save as much as 3,400 gallons of water a year, per the EPA. This also makes less work (and time) in the laundry room.
Reuse Towels before Washing
Use bath and hand towels two or three times before throwing them in the laundry, hanging them up to dry between washes. Blue jeans are also something that need not be washed constantly. In fact, they will probably outlast what they see the machine.
Upgrade Your Appliances
An upgrade to Energy Star and/or WaterSense appliances saves a household $380 a year, plus rebates are sometimes available.)
Take the laundry room, for instance. Energy-efficient washers can save 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of water annually. High-efficiency water heaters use as much as 50 percent less energy.
Drying Your Clothes on A Drying Rack
Water is saved when energy is saved. Hanging your clothes up is the perfect way to cut back on the dryer and preventing shrinkage.
Final Thoughts
Changing small habits can make a substantial impact on your water footprint. And saving water at home is not only good for the planet but your wallet as well. Reduce your water consumption to less than 1,000 gallons per month and save an average $140 off your water bill each year.
Home improvements that improve energy efficiency often pay themselves off with your water and electricity bills in less than a year, not to mention lower your monthly home insurance premiums.