Although your home is one of the vital investments you will make, a surprising amount of money is lost through living costs. From poor insulation to inefficient central heating, your house can haemorrhage money if left unchecked.
One of the main contributing factors to this is water consumption. In the UK, 52% of the public water supply is used by the public in their homes. Each person uses around 150 litres (32.9 gallons) of water a day. You can use 45 litres (9.89 gallons) just by having a shower.So what can you do to reduce the impact of water wastage and save money?
Installing a water meter can reduce household consumption by around 10%, but these are still relatively rare. In the UK, only 30% of households have one.
Consumption figures across the EU vary, with countries like the Czech Republic and Estonia consuming just 100 litres (21.9 gallons) per day, whilst countries like Romania and Spain use almost 300 litres (65.9 gallons.)
More consumption = more cost in a lot of cases. Even on a water bill structure that offers uncapped use, the electricity bill will be up through washing machines, driers, showers and more.Some tips for saving water are incredibly simple.
- When you’re brushing your teeth turn off the tap in between bouts of brushing. This can save around 5-6 litres. (1.09 – 1.31 gallons)
- For the toilet, you can place a cistern displacement device in the cistern to reduce the amount of water that fills up between each flush. (Older methods involved using a brick to accomplish the same thing.) This can save as much as 5000 litres (1099 gallons) a year.
- Purchase water efficient items such as showerheads, taps and appliances that have been specially designed to save water.
- Take shorter showers as these are one of the main ways to waste water/electricity. Baths should be saved as a luxury and used sparingly, as they consume much more water than a shower.
- Don’t use the dishwasher until it has a full load.
- For your garden, don’t use a hosepipe and instead use a watering can. This will save lots of water wastage and give you time to spend proper care and attention on your house. Placing rain catchers/water butts can help collect and save rainwater for household tasks and washing cars etc.
- Check your water pressure, as low pressure causes lots of problems. Consider a shower pump system to help fix the problem.