 |
||||
No More Water Waste More than half of all water use inside a house takes place in the bathroom. How efficient is yours?  Image courtesy iStockphoto Water managers in at least 36 states in the U.S. expect water shortages to occur over the next few years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. More than half of all water use inside a house takes place inside the bathroom. How efficient is yours? The average American family of four uses 400 gallons a day – but can save up to 30 percent on water bills by using water-efficient products. These factoids from the EPA and the Alliance for Water Efficiency can help homeowners save water, money and energy. - Something as simple as turning off the tap while brushing teeth can save up to 8 gallons of water a day. - Don’t forget that water waste is also energy waste because of the cost of heating water. Running the faucet for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. - No need to replace the entire faucet – attachable aerators can also earn WaterSense labels and can make an existing faucet more efficient. - Place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl without flushing, that’s an indication of a leak that needs to be fixed. - Keeping waste materials (including toilet paper) out of the toilet can reduce water usage. - The EPA recommends that homeowners replace toilets installed before 1994 (1992 in Texas and California) with high-efficiency toilets. - If it takes a long time for the shower to heat up, collect the pre-showering water for other uses, like watering houseplants. - It’s not always more efficient to take a shower rather than a bath, especially if the tub is only filled halfway. A shower that lasts 15 minutes or longer is always considered non-efficient by the Alliance for Water Efficiency, even if a low-flow showerhead is used. EPA WaterSense  Image courtesy EPA Products that have earned the EPA WaterSense label are not only efficient but fulfill performance standards. Consumer tests set the standard for features like water coverage and spray intensity for showerheads so that quality is not sacrificed for efficiency. Many states offer rebates for WaterSense labeled products and services. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/watersense. |
||||
|
||||
