How to Keep your Water Conservation Resolution in the New Year

New Year’s resolutions to lose weight are out and saving money is in for 2019!

According to Offers.com, one of 2019’s top resolutions is to save money, while those of us resolving to drop weight this year dipped by 2 percent from last year.

As you toss the confetti and ring in the new year, here are some easy ways to save on your water and energy bills in 2019.

Dishwashing

• Install an energy efficient dishwasher model that uses less water per cycle and limit pre-rinsing.
• Only run the dishwater with a full load.
• Fill up the sink with water to wash dishes by hand instead of leaving the tap running.
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator, not by running warm tap over it.

Improve your hot water delivery

• Determine if you need a hot water recirculation system to deliver hot water to the farthest taps in your home quicker.
• Install a tankless water heater to provide hot water on-demand reducing wait times and heating costs.

Showers

Showers account for nearly 17 percent of a home’s indoor water use.

• Reducing the amount of time you spend in the shower from 10 to five minutes will save 12.5 gallons of water if the showerhead has a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute.
• Use U.S. EPAWaterSense program rated showerheads. It will reduce the amount of water flowing. The average family could save 2,900 gallons per year and more than 370 kilowatt hours of electricity to heat that water.

Toilets

Lots of wasted water goes right down the drain due to leaky or outdated toilets. In fact, about 30 percent of a home’s indoor water consumption comes from toilet flushing.

• Fix leaking toilets. A leaking toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water each day.
• Replace older toilets with EPA WaterSense labeled products that use 1.28 gallons per flush. Inefficient toilets use as much as six gallons of water per flush.

Faucets

Fix the leak. Dripping faucets cost more than just a drop in the bucket. In fact, a drip from a leaking faucet every second will waste 192 gallons per month.  If you have a leaky faucet, you can go to this site from the US. Department of the Interior to calculate how much water you are wasting: Drip Calculator.

• Face the faucet fact that you can save 3,000 gallons per year just by turning off the water when you brush your teeth!
• Use a WaterSense approved faucet to reduce a sink’s water flow by 30 percent and chances are, you won’t notice a change in performance. A WaterSense model can save the average family 700 gallons of water each year.

Laundry

Reduce the number of washes you use on the hot water heating setting.

Adjust the water level to meet load demand.

Replace outdated machines with Energy Star rated models. Old washers use about 40 gallons per load while energy efficient versions us as little as 15 gallons per load. ENERGY STAR rated models use 25 percent less energy and about 33 percent less than standard washing machines.

For these tips and more information on conserving water visit the Environmental Protection Agency and Alliance for Water Efficiency websites.

At Len The Plumber we resolve to help you with all your plumbing needs. If you need to find the source of your high water bill, or if you are ready to move to more high efficiency, energy savings products, our Len The Plumber professionals can help. We are fast, reliable and local so you can count on us to provide exceptional service, seven days a week.

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