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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that the average household wastes 90 gallons of water daily. That’s a substantial amount annually for a single household let alone the more than 125 million households nationwide. Water conservation at home is beneficial for society, the environment, and your wallet.
Monitor Water Consumption
The first step in conserving water is knowing how much your household uses. Track your water use month to month and year to year. Use that data to check whether your usage is above or below average. It will also help you identify spikes in usage and know when to call a plumber. If your water company offers notifications for high usage, make sure to opt in if necessary.
Schedule an Annual Plumbing Inspection
A common mistake homeowners make is never scheduling a plumbing inspection until there’s a problem. A more proactive approach can save you money and inconvenience. Schedule a comprehensive plumbing inspection at least once a year. Your plumber will identify any deterioration and be able to correct it before it develops into more serious problems. An inspection is also an opportunity to explore the current plumbing code. Your home will fall behind the code as the years pass, and upgrading can help you use water more efficiently.
Look for the WaterSense Label
When shopping for fixtures, appliances, and other water-using products, look for the WaterSense label. WaterSense is an EPA program that certifies consumer products. Independent parties test these products in lab settings. They evaluate whether the products meet EPA standards for water conservation. Depending on the product category, the EPA has other criteria, including user-friendliness. WaterSense certification gives you confidence in your purchases. It may also make you eligible for rebates and other incentives.
Upgrade Toilets to High-Efficiency Models
Toilets are a big deal for water conservation because they account for 30% of the average household’s total consumption. The federal standard for toilets is no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. That’s good relative to older toilets that could use as much as 6 gallons per flush, but it’s still rather high. The EPA recommends purchasing what the industry calls low-flow or high-efficiency standards. The EPA criterion for a WaterSense toilet is no more than 1.28 gallons per flush. That’s a 20% reduction at least, so installing a water-saving toilet or other bathroom fixture can save you thousands of dollars over the life of each toilet.
Update Your Showers With Low-Flow Showerheads
Showering accounts for over 16% of total water consumption for the average household. It amounts to about 40 gallons a day. Across the entire nation, we use enough water showering to meet the full water needs of New Jersey and New York combined.
The federal standard for showerheads is 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm). Showerheads that meet the WaterSense standard use no more than 2.0 gpm. That means the average family can save 2,700 gallons a year by upgrading to low-flow showerheads throughout the home. The EPA also evaluates these products for the shower experience they provide. If a product is efficient but delivers low water pressure, it can’t earn the label.
Opt for Low-Flow and Touchless Faucets
WaterSense certifies faucets and aerators for kitchens and bathrooms. The federal standard for these fixtures is 2.2 gpm whereas WaterSense products use no more than 1.5. gpm As with showerheads, these products must demonstrate ample flow as well. Each WaterSense faucet and aerator pairing can save the average household about 700 gallons annually. You can save even more water and foster more hygienic environments with touchless faucets. These fixtures have sensors that let them turn off automatically when your hand moves away.
Practice Good Garbage Disposal Habits
The EPA certifies garbage disposal systems for energy efficiency through its ENERGY STAR program. It doesn’t give them WaterSense certification because disposals don’t technically use water. That said, disposals need running water, and the average use will require between 2 to 5 gallons. When upgrading your garbage disposal, choose a model with a load sensor. That will limit the amount of water needed. Clean up thoroughly before using the disposal. That will limit how many times you have to run the system and for how long.
Use a Dishwasher and Ensure It’s Fully Loaded
A dishwasher should use less water than washing dishes by hand. The EPA estimates the difference is about 8,000 gallons annually for the average household. When upgrading your dishwasher, choose a model with both ENERGY STAR and WaterSense certification. When using your dishwasher, only run it when you have a full load. If you run partial loads, you can use just as much or even more water than with hand washing. If your dishwasher has an “eco” cycle, use that whenever possible to minimize water usage.
Protect Your Home From Hard Water
Hardness in this context refers to how much mineral content is in water. Minerals like calcium and magnesium can become limescale when water evaporates or is still. Scale will build up over time in pipes, fixtures, water heaters, and other water-using appliances. This will increase your water and energy consumption and shorten the life of your fixtures and appliances.
If you have moderately hard water, consider adding anti-scale devices to major appliances, such as water heaters and boilers. If you have hard or very hard water, consider a whole-home water treatment system like a water softener instead. These systems remove minerals in the water by exchanging them with salt.
Upgrade to an On-Demand Water Heater
Traditional water heaters store and heat water in a tank. That’s inherently inefficient because you use energy to maintain the temperature and heated water evaporates. Tankless water heaters only heat water when you need it. That minimizes the energy used, and there’s no water loss through evaporation. The other benefit of an on-demand water heater is that you enjoy a virtually limitless hot water supply.
Take Care When Choosing Water Treatment Systems
It’s very important to look for the WaterSense label when choosing water treatment systems. That’s because some systems can waste more water than they deliver. Traditional water filtration systems are usually pretty good in this regard. Water softeners can waste water through both the exchange and regeneration processes. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems both filter and soften water. RO systems can waste several times as much water as they deliver. WaterSense models will be as close to a 1:1 ratio as possible.
Consider Updating Your Home With a Leak Detector
Even a small leak can waste many gallons of water a day and cause substantial water damage. Often, leaks can go on for long periods before they’re noticed. A leak detector will sound an alarm when a leak occurs. Smart models can send phone notifications, and some can automatically disable the water supply.
Local Plumbing Experts in Northern and Central New Jersey
Pipe Works Services has served Chatham, NJ and the surrounding areas since 2000. We have licensed plumbers available for inspections, maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and new plumbing installations. Our team pipes and repipes water, sewer, and gas lines. We clean drains and work with kitchen and bathroom fixtures, tank and tankless water heaters, and water treatment systems. Our plumbers are on call 24/7 for emergency repairs. We also offer a maintenance membership that can save you money while providing you peace of mind.
Call today or contact us online to schedule a service appointment or in-person consultation.
