Water Conservation in the home and how you can make a difference!

Even though nearly 70% of the world is covered by water, only 2.5% of it is fresh water that we can consume. Unfortunately, only 1% of that water is easily accessible. Humans and animals alike depend on fresh water to survive.

According to the United Nations by 2025 two-thirds of the nation will live in water deficit regions as a combined result of over use of water, population growth and Climate change.

As a Nation over the past few years we have made a concerted effort to save water in our homes.

The Commission of regulations of Utilities states that the average person in 2018 used 129 litres of water per day in Ireland. This, although significantly reduced is a vast amount of treated water used everyday.

Here are 5 Tips on how to help conserve water in your home. 

Turn off the tap while you brush!

I’m sure you have heard it before but how many people do it. Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth can save up to 6 litres of water in one minute. So, if you brush your teeth three times a day you could save 18 litres of water by turning off the tap.

Have a Shorter shower!

Shorter shower times may save as much 10 litres of water per minute. If you don’t like the idea of rushing your daily shower. There are many products that can help you regulate your water usage. Check out the shower head that can save up to 50% of the water you use. The slow flow regulator is a low cost device that can be fitted to your standard shower head and save 70% of the water that’s going down the drain.

Reduce the amount of times you flush!

The toilet is one of the most water intensive fixtures in a home. A single flush can use up to 9 litres of water. Depending how many people are in your home and how often the toilet is used, the amount of water you’re literally flushing down the toilet each day could be quite significant. Conserve water by thinking before you flush. Alternatively, there are products that can be added to your cistern to reduce the amount of water used by a single flush like the Toilet tummy water saving bag.

Opt for the dishwasher!

Use the dishwasher to wash up after dinner, you may think your saving water by hand washing, but the fact is your wasting nearly 3.5 times the amount of water than a standard dishwasher.

If you don’t have a dishwasher available, place a basin in the bottom of your sink to reduce the amount of unused water going down the drain. If a basin is not for you there are many products that can be fitted onto your existing tap, like the Altered Nozzle it uses 98% less water with full functionality.  

Ban the garden hose!

Ban the use of the garden hose. It is a major waste of treated water. Using the garden hose for an hour can use more water than a family of four in a day. As a substitute collect rain water in a water butt to water your plants, wash your car and other water intensive garden chores.

All statistics used in this article are from www.water.ie