5 Home Improvements that Can Promote Water Conservation

Water waste is a severe problem affecting homes and businesses around the country. This is not good, considering water scarcity is becoming a lot worse due to climate change.

You might be shocked to discover how much water you are probably wasting. The average family wastes around 180 gallons of water every single week.

There are a lot of changes that you can make to minimize water waste. Many of them center around making compromises that people might not like. For example, we are often told to take shorter showers, not grow too many unnecessary plants and reduce recreational activities that rely on water.

However, there are some no-brainer ideas that you can follow to save water. Many home improvements can improve water conservation. You can learn more by following Facebook pages of places like Homebuddy.com.

Some of the best improvements to reduce water waste are listed below.

Setup a Walk-in Shower

Walk-in showers are great ways to save water. One of the reasons that they are better is that they ensure the water is sprayed in a more concentrated area, so there is a lot less waste.

Walk-in showers also don’t create as large of a mess on the floor in the bathroom. This doesn’t pertain to preventing water waste per say, but it does protect your floor. This will also be better for the environment (and your wallet!) since you won’t have to worry about using materials to replace the floor after it erodes.

Repair leaky faucets and pipes

Most people blame water waste on things like keeping the faucet running while brushing your teeth or taking long showers. However, most of those issues fail to compare to the water lost from leaky pipes. An estimated 20 to 50% of water loss is due to leaks.

You will want to identify and fix any leaks that you find. You can use a variety of tools like listening discs and ground microphones to locate leaks in your pipes. In addition, you can find leaks in your faucets more easily by inspecting them.

Once you have identified any leaks, you will want to fix them as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that a faucet that leaks a single drip every second will waste over 3000 gallons of water every year. You can easily waste over 10,000 gallons of water a year if you have multiple leaky faucets. This could save even more if you fix leaks in laundry, because you should try to save water when doing the laundry.

Install a rain barrel

When you are trying to minimize water loss, you should not just think about the water already going through your pipes. You should also think of ways to collect water more efficiently. One of the easiest ways to do this is by collecting rainwater. This can be more energy efficient than your traditional piping system because you won’t have to use power to push water through the pipes.

You can try collecting rainwater by setting up a rain barrel. Rain barrels can be very easy to install and use. After they have been set up, you’ll easily be able to collect water and use it at your convenience. It can also be a good way to make an eco-friendly yard.

Install a low flush toilet

Low flush toilets are also great improvements if you want to conserve water. Most dual flush toilets on the market use around 67% less water than traditional toilets. Since it takes around 3 gallons of water every time, you flush a toilet and easily add up to at least 40 gallons of water saved every week.

Get a better showerhead

You have probably already heard many people talk about the importance of using the right shower head. Some showerheads are marketed for environmental benefits because they don’t use as much water. It might seem that it won’t be a good option if you’re worried about getting enough water when you shower. However, standard showerheads usually spray a lot more water than you need. You should get plenty of water with these newer versions.

Also, showerheads tend to deteriorate over time. They start to leak, so a lot of the water that comes through them doesn’t spray you when you are showering. Rather, it just drips to the ground, which is a complete waste.

You should seriously consider investing in a new showerhead. It won’t make as big a difference as replacing a leaky faucet or installing a low flush toilet. However, you will still noticeably reduce water loss.

Take the proper steps to minimize water loss.

Water loss is becoming a greater concern than ever. Recent environmental reports have shown that climate change is making water scarcity a greater problem in many parts of the world. Regardless of where you live, water conservation has to be a priority. If you are in an area where water scarcity is a bigger problem, then you will need to be even more diligent about conserving it.

The home improvements listed above can significantly minimize water waste. You will want to address them as quickly as possible.