Water Conversation is a practice that helps save money and the environment. Very little water on the planet is drinkable: Just around 1 percent is available for humans and animals to drink.
Here are some methods and practices that you can use to conserve water. These have been taken from the Green Wiki: Click here to view the original.
- Take mainly cold showers if you are healthy or if you want to boost up your immune system and save energy and water at the same time.
- Do not leave the water taps on if not in use and turn off the taps properly. One drop of water per second would waste 2,700 gallons (10,220 L) of water per year, and can cost $405! Leaky faucets and taps can add to your hot water bill, so repair them as soon as possible. A constant drip wastes water, energy and money. You can also save money and water by installing an inexpensive "flow control" device in shower heads and faucets.
- The water heater is the second largest energy consumer in the home and using it efficiently can add up to big savings. For families with an automatic dishwasher, the hot water heater setting can safely be lowered to 130-140 degrees. If the automatic dishwasher has a water temperature booster, the water heater temperature can be set to 110-120 degrees. If your house will be vacant for two or more days, you can lower the temperature of your water heater even more until you return. If you have a new water heater, drain a few gallons from your tank every six months to remove sediment that accumulates and reduces the heater's efficiency. If you only use your hot water once or twice a day, you may consider installing a timer on your hot water heater and set it up to run two hours in the morning and the evening. Wrapping a fiberglass blanket around your water heater and securing it with duct tape, or installing a ready-made insulation kit can save up to 10% on water heating costs. Most new water heaters are already insulated, so this tip is most effective for heaters that are more than five years old. Also, insulate hot water pipes to reduce heat loss as the hot water is flowing to your faucets.
- It pays to operate appliances that use hot water wisely. Running the clothes washer with a full load and using cold water whenever possible can lead to big energy savings. Hang dry your laundry rather than putting it in the dryer and put them outside on a clothesline mostly at summer, when its hotter. Hang drying will also make your clothes last much longer. Use detergents that clean clothes effectively in cold water.
- Use dishwashers instead of washing dishes by hand. Washing dishes by hand may not save energy or money. In fact, you can probably save energy using the dishwasher since hand-washing usually requires more hot water. When shopping for a new dishwasher, look for models that require less hot water. Dishwashers differ in the number of gallons of hot water used in the wash cycle. Eighty percent of the energy used in automatic dishwashers goes toward heating water. Significant savings take place by running the dishwasher only when it is full. Running a half-filled dishwasher twice uses two times as much energy as running a full load once. Many new dishwashers have an internal water heater that raises the temperature of the incoming water to 140 degrees. This device allows you to turn down the temperature on the water heater in your home and still have your dishes washed thoroughly. Take advantage of the energy saving control on many dishwashers. It turns off the heat during the drying cycle. Opening the dishwasher after the rinse cycle and letting the dishes air dry is another way to save energy.
- Wash dishes with cold water by hand in case you have a poor performing dishwasher or in case you have no dishwasher. The best technique to wash the dishes by hand is to rinse dirty dishes at the beginning very short with cold water, then clean with brush and soap without having water running at the same time and rinse them at the end all together at the same time. Leave them to dry and if you have cold hands you might warm them up very shortly once you finished.
- Saving water also means not polluting it: using soap pollutes less than a shower gel. For the dish washing, try to wipe off the greasy pans with flour or paper to use less detergent. But dont forget that paper production also uses alot of water so consider using only recycled paper.
- Replace your hose-and-bucket wash with a "waterless" car wash product found online and in some natural stores. The average home car wash uses between 80-150 gallons of water and sends soapy, toxic runoff to rivers and streams, and can cost between $12.00-$22.50.
- Recycle recycling certain things can help save water, because it takes water to make things
- Save the cold water while waiting for the sink to heat up fill a jug with cold water and use it for cleaning or watering your grass or plants, saving enough water in the house to replace 15% (3/20) of water could save a 135/4 cubic meter lake in just one year, enough water to fill 63/4,750 olympic sized swimming pools, $1,350.00
- Fix leaky faucets: fixing one faucet, could save a over 9/20 cubic meter lake each month, enough water to fill 21/118,750 olympic sized swimming pools, $18.00
- Turn the water off while scrubbing the dishes. Turning off the water while scrubbing could save up to 19 gallons of water every day, and enough water to fill 7/250,000 Olympic sized swimming pools, $2.85.
- Switch to powdered laundry detergent. Switching to powdered laundry detergent could save 11/4 gallons of water per year.
- Tap it out:Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving can save 2 gallons of water, which amounts to 30 cents every time!