Six ways to save water in your home
Water is a precious resource with the UK’s supply under pressure from increasing demand and climate change
With a hosepipe ban coming into force in parts of southern England after the driest July in more than 100 years, conserving water has never been more important. The restriction for Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will start from August 5, 2022. Using hosepipes to water gardens, fill swimming pools or fill ornamental ponds won’t be allowed. Cutting water usage will not only help protect rivers and wildlife but save you cash and reduce your carbon footprint.
Rainwater harvesting
Among the simplest ways to save tap water is to collect rainwater for use in the garden. The average house roof in the UK collects enough water to fill 450 water butts a year, according to the charity Waterwise. Obviously, few people can store that much water, but even if you just install one water butt that’s about 200 litres a year of rainwater that you can use to irrigate your garden. If you have the space, install two or more water butts.
It's easy to collect rainwater – just divert the water from your drainpipe into the water butt using a small piece of piping, known as a rainwater diverter. Water from rainwater harvesting can also potentially be used for car washing, toilet flushing and even laundry with the right equipment. Prices for water butts start at around £35-£50.
Reuse grey water
Grey water is the term for water that has been used for bathing. It’s possible to reuse this water to irrigate your garden. A bathwater diverter is a simple piece of kit. When fitted to an exterior wastepipe it diverts water to a water butt or connects to an irrigation system for you to use on plants and grass. As the water maybe dirty, it’s best to reuse the water quickly rather than store it for a long time.
There are also available whole-house systems which recycle and filter grey water so it can be reused for flushing toilets, laundry and watering the garden. Changes will need to be made to your plumbing set-up to redirect water from baths, showers and basins to a storage tank (indoors or outdoors) and recycling unit. The downside is the cost at around £4,000-£6,000. The average annual water bill in the UK is around £400 per household. If 60% of your water bill comes from grey water uses and you can eliminate that cost, you can save £240 per year. So, if your grey water recycling system costs £4,000, it will pay for itself in savings in about 16 years. This set-up may be better for those building new homes rather than renovating.
Water-saving showers
With over half of our average water consumption taking place in the bathroom, it’s a good place to save water. The average UK shower lasts eight minutes – and is one of the biggest water guzzlers in the home. By shortening showers to four minutes, the average UK family could save 21,900 litres of water a year – enough to make 300 cups of tea a day, according to Southern Water.
When buying a new shower check for the volume in litres of water that it uses per minute. Some digital and smart showers offer an eco-mode which restricts the flow. Others come with proximity sensor technology, that reduces the water flow when you step away from the shower, for example to shampoo your hair. Alternatively, you could simply turn the shower off while you lather up.
Keep an eye out for water saving shower heads that use clever technology to give the feel of a conventional shower while using less water. For example, Pulse Eco uses a rotating wheel inside the shower head to create a pulsating or massaging effect while EcoCamel injects air into the water stream. Manufacturers claim these showerheads use 45% to 60% less water - saving water and energy.
Low-flow taps
Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth is a simple way to save water. A running tap gushes nine litres per minute, according to Southern Water. There are low flow taps on the market that limit the amount of water you use when washing your hands or brushing your teeth. Eco aerator taps mix water with air to create a strong jet while using far less water than a traditional tap, for example Other water saving gadgets include also low-pressure valves that can be fitted to your mains water system to slow the flow. Also called water pressure regulators, these inexpensive valves automatically reduce the high incoming water pressure.
Save your flushes for when it really matters.
Flushing the toilet accounts for about a quarter of daily household water usage. Save toilet flushes for when they really matter, advises Southern Water. Today most new toilets are dual flush – designed to use four to six litres of water compared to a standard 13 litres for old-style cisterns. Dual-flush toilets have separate buttons for heavy or light flushes with the aim of reducing the water used. But design flaws and poor materials means they're likely to be misused or leak, according to data collected by Thames Water. First, there are the flush buttons themselves. About half of customers didn’t know which button to push for liquid waste or solid matter.
The other problem is with the flush mechanism. Dual-flush toilets usually have a mechanical valve with a rubber seal in the cistern that opens to allow water to flow when flushed. This rubber seal can rapidly deteriorate or get obstructed by grit, causing the water to flow continuously. In the UK, it’s estimated this is wasting about 400 million litres of water per day.
Check your toilet to see if it’s leaking. Look for a ripple at the back of the bowl. If it is leaking, it may be worth investing in a new WC considering the impact a leaky toilet can have on your water bill. Choose valves with a sturdier silicone seal instead of rubber. Also look out for WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approval.
Compact baths
During the severe drought of 1976, the tag line for a press and TV advertising campaign was “Save water - bath with a friend.” In those days, most homes had baths rather than showers. If you don’t fancy a bath for two there are still ways you can enjoy a long, relaxing soak in the tub without wasting water. Instead of a large bath, which you may like to fill to the brim, why not invest in a smaller capacity tub? That way you can still have the experience of being fully immersed while using a lot less water. Other easy ways to save water include waiting for a full load before running your dishwasher or clothes washing machine – fewer loads use less water.
Fix leaks promptly
Leaking taps waste large volumes of water. Direct Line estimates that a leak of one drip per second will increase an annual water bill by as much as six per cent for those with a water meter. On average people leave leaking taps for three weeks before they fix them – wasting about 25 litres of water. Leaks from washing machines, toilets and sinks can go undetected for weeks or even months and will not only waste a lot of water but cause damage to your home. There are now smart water sensors that can be installed as part of your home’s plumbing system that will send an alert when an appliance or pipe has sprung a leak. High-end versions will have an automatic shutoff feature to protect against water damage.
By making small changes such as swapping a bath for a short shower or opting to use a watering can instead of a hosepipe, you’re not only saving water but energy and money too. High tech gadgets have a role to play but there are many simple ways to save water and protect our environment as well as future supplies.