Save Water Drop by Drop with Five Top Tips by Heather Sykes
We all know how important it is to save water. Not only do we have a global eco-crisis, but we also are dealing with a cost of living crisis.
In the UK, we use roughly 14 billion litres of water a day. Some estimates believe households of four might use over 500 litres a day. The way we are living is in no way sustainable. The climate and our finite resources cannot keep up with our current behaviours and demands.
Each of us must do our part to help cut back on water usage. This can be done in lots of different ways. It doesn’t just mean saving water at home but in every part of our lives.
As energy prices soar, food costs climb and everything else gets more expensive, saving water is more important than ever. If we can learn to save money on water, it can not only help the climate but our pockets too.
1. Save Water by Saving Water
The first way we can save on water is by saving water. It is an obvious tip and very simple, but we don’t all do it. What do we mean save water by saving water? Simply, collecting the water we use.
There are so many ways to reduce our water use and one of them is by collecting grey water. So, what is grey water? Grey water is water that has been used before. This can be water used for washing up, bath water, or water that has been through the washing machine.
Indoor Saving
We use so much water without even realising when washing up. Simply plugging the sink or using a washing up bowl will force us to turn off the tap. When you do this, you can collect the water you use. This can then be used on the garden. Some people also use grey water for flushing the toilet, however, there are more complexities to this use. This is because the water must be treated and therefore is not always as eco-friendly as we hope.
Using grey water for gardening was especially useful this summer during the drought. It is difficult to keep a green garden and healthy growing plants with a hosepipe ban.
Outdoor Saving
Another great way to save water is by investing in a water butt. These can collect draining water that runs off your house. To catch the water, place your water butt beneath a drain pipe. Water butts save so much water during a downpour. Then, you have a whole barrel of water to use on your garden instead of turning on the tap. Let your gutters be your friend and invest in a water butt. This both saves water and saves money.
We can also save water by pushing for housing development with water saving infrastructure. It is something to be aware of. These are just a few ways to save water by saving water.
2. Stop Buying Bottled Water
This is a huge one. It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when trying to save water. However, if we stop buying bottled water, we can immediately do so much. We use 481.6 billion plastic bottles per year. There are graphics that show just how much waste we make here.
Lots of us don’t consider how much water it takes to make a bottle of water. We all know that the plastic waste is a problem, but the whole manufacturing process is unsustainable. The process of making and moulding the plastic uses water. Washing the machinery uses water. The fuel taken to transport the plastic bottles from factory to store is unsustainable. Every part of the process is polluting.
To make one bottle of fizzy drink, it requires roughly 5.3 litres of water. Arguably, the environmental costs outweigh the convenience of pltic water bottles.
Again, the alternative can both save water and money. Buying plastic bottles of water can become expensive if you do it regularly. The cheap option is to use tap water. Invest in a reusable water bottle or flask. These also keep water cool, meaning your sip of water is much more refreshing. There are so many designs available, you will find the perfect bottle for you.
3. Save Water by Checking Appliances
The third way to save water is by checking all appliances. Not everything works smoothly all of the time. We lose water through leaks, inefficient equipment and running taps.
This is something to do both at home and at work. Business owners and home owners need to be aware of their water usage and if their appliances are working correctly. Call out for a plumber when you notice a leak. Check if any equipment’s water consumption is efficient.
Another obvious way to save water is by not leaving it running. This is self explanatory. It links back to our grey water tip. Place a bowl under running water, when you leave a tap or shower running to warm up. Again, this water can be used on the garden, or for other things. As this kind of grey water is not dirty, you can use it for washing the dishes.
Having shorter showers will also help to save water. This is a tip you will have heard already. But the facts are true. Cutting one minute off your shower saves roughly 11.3652 litres of water. You can also get shower heads that are designed to be more efficient and use less water. These shower heads use less water per minute so save water and cut your bills.
4. Consider a Water Metre
This next tip is something to try at home. Using a water metre for some, saves both money and water. Bear in mind that this tip is not for everyone. A water metre will not save every household money. For a large household, an assessed volume charge might be more cost effective.
However, for some, water metres save money and water as you pay for exactly what you use. This way, some find that being more aware of the amount of water they use, makes them actively try to reduce it.
When you have a water metre, your water company reads the metre to work out how much to charge you. Having a metre fitted might make you more aware of your usage and help you to cut it down.
5. Reduce Use to Save Water
Our final tip to save water is another simple one. If we reduce our water use, we will obviously save water. There are lots of ways to do this that we can try.
Save Water at Work
We have already mentioned reducing time spent in the shower and catching running water. These are great tips for home. There are also things we can do beyond our homes. We can also reduce our use of water in the workplace.
One way to do this is by getting rid of the watercooler. This tip is similar to the one about plastic water bottles. The concept is the same. Single use plastic is terrible for the planet, is expensive and also requires lots of water to manufacture.
Consider do you need a water cooler? Is the tap water safe to drink? Most places in the UK have safe, drinkable tap water. Britain has some of the best and regularly checked water supplies, so our taps provide great water. We do not need filtered, cooled water shipped in plastic bottles.
Large plastic containers for office water coolers use lots of fuel, water and energy to be manufactured and transported. If filtered or cooled water is your preference, get a filtered jug to keep tap water in the fridge.
Save Water as a Student
Trying to be sustainable whilst on a budget is sometimes hard. This article has gone through a few tips that help both save water and money. However, they might not all apply to students. There are so many things students can do to be sustainable. Here we will look at some of the quickest and most effective tips.
Laundry… How many times do you put a wash on per week? Maybe once or twice a week for some students. Is the wash actually full? Probably not. Often, we need to put loads on to get things clean before a full basket is ready.
This means that we are using more water than we need per item of clothing. When you don’t have a washing machine in your student halls, using laundry services can get expensive. Doing a shared wash with flatmates could save you a lot of money, whilst you save water.
Students who share wash loads can reduce the number of washes a flat does a week. Together, you could save on a wash every fortnight by doing it together. On average, one wash uses between 33 to 72 litres per wash. This can really start to add up in a short length of time.
Group together with flatmates to do one big wash, rather than five small ones! If you are interested in washing more sustainably, check out our post about how to wash well here.
Conclusion
There are so many different ways to save water. We have just looked at the top five ways to do it. Try these tips to see how much money you can save while you save water. Hopefully you try something new as we all do our part in working to save water.