How to reduce your water consumption and bills today
How to reduce your water consumption and bills today
Reducing your water consumption is an easy way for you to reduce both your water bills and your impact on the environment at the same time. We know that conserving water is likely to become increasingly important as climate change makes extreme weather more common and puts pressure on our water supply. By conserving water today, you can protect our water sources and reduce the pressure on your pocket too.
As we go into the summer months, we have put together a few handy tips to help you to reduce your water usage in the kitchen, in the bathroom and in the garden.
In the kitchen
- Put a washing up bowl in the sink to collect the water when you wash your fruit and vegetables and when you wash your dishes. This can help the water used to go further and means that you can reuse the wastewater to water your plants.
- Wait until your dishwasher and washing machine are completely full before you put them on to reduce the number of loads that you do in a week. This can also help reduce your energy bill by reducing the amount of hot water and electricity that you use in a week.
- Only put as much water as you need in the kettle before you boil it to reduce your water and energy usage when making a cup of tea or heating water for cooking. Most kettles have an indicator showing how much water is needed for each cup or you can use a cup to measure the water into the kettle from the tap.
In the bathroom
- Take a shower instead of a bath wherever possible and keep your showers as short as you can. Ofwat estimate that a five-minute shower uses about half the water of a standard bath.
- If you have an older toilet that is not dual flush, you can put a water saving device in the cistern to reduce the amount of water used each time you flush the toilet. Some water companies offer these and other devices for free so it is worth checking with your water supplier to find out what is available.
- Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. According to Water UK, leaving the tap running can waste over 6 litres of water per minute needlessly.
In the garden
- Reuse water from the kitchen to water your plants. This is a great way to reduce your water consumption and give your plants a nutrient boost from the nutrients in the water at the same time.
- Think about investing in a water butt to harvest rainwater runoff from your roof to water your garden. Using rainwater on your garden is not only better for your water bill but can be better for your plants too!
- Avoid using sprinklers or a hosepipe and instead use a watering can to water your garden in dry spells. Using a watering can uses less water whilst also enabling you to reuse water from washing fruit and vegetables and cooking.
