With many days of sunshine and clear skies on the horizon, preserving water may be one of the last things on the home to-do list.
But with more water having been used throughout the pandemic because of essential hand washing, and household bill savings to be made on water preservation, during this time of economic uncertainty and recession, small changes could help to make a big difference.
At Auriga we know that each household in the UK uses on average around 345 litres of water each day. About 28 per cent ofa typical household’s heating bill is from heating water for showers, baths and hot water from the tap. This costs on average about £125 a year.
When water is used, we are often using energy, mostly to heat water. Generating energy produces carbon dioxide emissions which is one of the main greenhouse gases causing climate change. Heating water for use in our homes makes up about four per cent of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions.
Here are some of the changes that you can make to help your pocket and the environment.
1. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save up to six litres of water per minute.
2. Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet –this reduces the volume of water used in each flush.
3. Take a shorter shower– showers can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute. Consider getting an aerated shower head, which combines water and air, or inserting a regulator in your shower, which puts an upper limit on flow rates.
4. Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher – this cuts out unnecessary washes in between.
5. Fix a dripping tap–a dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres of water a year.
6. Install a water butt – fix toyour drainpipe and use it to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows. A water butt can collect around 5,000 litres a year.
7. Water your garden with a watering can – a hosepipe can use as much as 1,000 litres of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and also save water.
8. Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge– this will mean you do not have to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.
9. Install a water meter– when you’re paying your utility provider for exactly how much water you use, laid out in an itemised bill, there’s an incentive to waste less.
10. Invest in water-efficient goods – when you need to replace household products. You can now get water-efficient shower heads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other water-saving products.
Mark Abrams, Managing Director of Auriga comments: “Even though water doesn’t appear in short supply here in the UK, using less water actually means you are reducing energy use, particularly when it comes to heating the water that comes out of the tap. Importantly, however, it can help you to save money – something that we do for more than 1,000 customers in vulnerable situations each and every day.”
