Liquid Assets - 7 Ways to Be Water Wise at Home
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It's never been smart to be wasteful of our natural resources, and becoming knowledgeable about conservation is essential as the availability of resources becomes scarce.
And with our aging pipes, water quality is another concern. The availability of clean, drinkable water is a prime consideration today, so it makes sense to be thinking ahead on ways to conserve and make your home more water smart.
If we all make informed water choices, we'll save water, be better stewards of this very precious resource, and improve the water quality in our homes.
1. Flushing conservatively. Replacing old toilets is the quickest and easiest way to drastically reduce the water usage in your house. Make sure, too, that no matter what size flush your toilet has, that it doesn't leak. A leak means wasted water and wasted money. According to Kohler, replacing an old toilet with a 1.28 High Efficiency Toilet will save 16,500 gallons of water over a year. Now, multiple that by the number of toilets in a household. The savings of both water and money is huge.
2. Water-wise appliances. Appliance manufacturers have been on the energy saving bandwagon for some time, but only in the past few years have they gotten significantly better on water usage. A standard washing machine takes up to 50 gallons of water per wash. A high efficiency can use anywhere from 11 to 30 gallons. With a typical family washing up to 200 loads a year, the costs of water and energy are enough to offset the cost of a new appliance. High efficiency washers are available in both top and front load.
Think washing dishes by hand saves time, water and money? It doesn't. According to the Energystar.gov Web site, washing dishes in an Energy Star dishwasher saves time and money, and gets the dishes cleaner because the water used in a dishwasher is hotter. And, when it comes to saving water, using a high efficiency dishwasher can save up to 5,000 gallons of water per year over hand-washing. Always wash full loads of clothes and dishes, too, to save water.
3. Improve quality of water with a whole house filter. Not only is it important to conserve water, but water quality is often an issue. With old water pipes and crumbling infrastructure in cities, we are seeing more problems with dirty water and sediment. Sediment can quickly render foods inedible and it's hard on appliances and plumbing cartridges in shower and faucet sets. Filtering water at the entry point to the house will help keep clothes and food clean, and keep your appliances and fixtures in good working condition.
4. Go low-flow. Changing out aerators and showerheads to low-flow models is a quick change that can quickly add up in savings of water and money at the tap. New models don't have that low-flow feel that many earlier models once did and that turned showering into a dribbling affair.
5. A better drink. Instead of buying bottled water by the case that's frequently just municipal water in a pretty bottle, why not install a filter at the tap? Homeowners have a variety of choices between filtered pitchers, filters installed on the faucet head to more elaborate models such as single filtered lines and triple osmosis systems. Even the more expensive models can be justified when the price of buying bottled water is added up over time. Better still, there is no energy expense to truck water to your house or for you to drive to buy it at the grocery store.
6. Water softener. Water softeners can be another way to improve the quality of the water in your house. Besides making your skin feel smoother, softened water helps control scale build-up in bathrooms and in the hot water heater. Softened water also has more cleaning power and needs less soap and cleaners in the dishwasher and clothes washer and can help those appliances last longer.
7. Water collection. Over 100 years ago people used to collect their own water in cisterns. The cisterns were buried water containers, the size of which often indicated the homeowner's wealth. Today many water-conscious homeowners are turning to their own homes as a source of water collection much like our forebearers did.
The use of rain collection for landscape watering is easy but as droughts and water shortages persist, the ability to collect and have potable water for drinking and bathing may become more likely. Texas A&M University has an extensive Web site and numerous publications on rain harvesting, including information on building a rainwater catchment for drinking needs. Learn more at http://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/
Rainexchange.com is a Web site that has supplies and plans to build attractive water collection ponds and fountains that can be used for landscape watering needs.
Hint:
If you're thinking about replacing your water-wasting or high-energy appliances, be sure to check energystar.gov for both federal and local rebates on new energy efficient and water-saving appliances like washing machines, dishwashers and water heaters. Click on "rebates" to learn more.
Kathryn Weber is a home and decorating columnist and publishes the Red Lotus Letter feng shui ezine. For more information or questions, e-mail katie@redlotusletter.com or write to her at P.O. Box 531, Cuero, Texas 77954. Please include your e-mail address or a SASE for a reply.
