Reduce your use – Water saving tips in the summer
With just a handful of small changes you could save water, help the environment, and save money on your water bills.
Did you know – Using a hosepipe to wash your car can use 170 litres in 10 minutes, which is just over two baths worth of water.
Know your usage – A cubic metre of water is 1,000 litres. This is equivalent to 13 baths, 14 loads of washing, 28 showers or 111 toilet flushes.
The average person in the UK uses 142 litres of water every day.
http://www.ccwater.org.uk
You can keep track of how much water you use each day to see how you compare, by filling out our Water Audit Checklist which can be found here.
What can you do in the kitchen?
- Save 10 litres of water by waiting to use your washing machine until you have one full load, and not two half loads.
- Try washing your fruit and vegetables in a bowl of water rather than under a running tap – this can save up to 15 litres every minute.
- Fill up your dishwasher before putting it on. Dishwashers use around 15 litres of water with every wash.
- If you do run the tap waiting for the water to cool down, why not collect it and reuse it in your garden?
What can you do in the bathroom?
- By turning your tap off whilst you brush your teeth, you can stop up to 15 litres of water going to waste per minute.
- Reduce your shower time by a minute and save up to 15 litres. Baths use more water than showers.
- By filling your bath just 1 inch less, you save 5 litres of water.
- Check your toilets for leaks. Add food dye in your cistern and leave it overnight. If in the morning, the bowl is coloured, this indicates you have a leak. Internal leaks should be fixed by an approved plumber – find one at https://www.watersafe.org.uk/
What can you do in the garden?
- Water butts are a great way to collect water for your garden. Rain
could fill up your water butt 450 times a year. - Save water by watering your plants at dawn or dusk, this will reduce the water lost to evaporation.
- Use a watering can. A hose or sprinkler can use up to 1000 litres per hour; that’s more than 12 baths.
- Recycle the water in your paddling pool. Use it to wash your car, water your plants or wash your dog.
For more tips and advice on how to save water please download our water saving flyer.