For many households, their water bill is a big expense, and with drought conditions in various parts of the country, penalties for excessive water use are being added to many water bills.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)<\/a>, an average family of four uses 400 gallons every day. On average, approximately 70 percent of that water is used indoors, with the bathroom being the largest source of that usage (a toilet alone can use 27 percent).<\/p>\n That\u2019s why since 2006, the EPA has sponsored WaterSense, a partnership program that helps people save water with a product label and tips for saving water indoors and out. Products bearing the WaterSense label<\/a> have been independently certified to perform well; help save water, energy, and money.<\/p>\n So what can you do to reduce water usage? Plenty!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s some tips to help you lower your water consumption (and your bill):<\/p>\n Older toilets can use as much as 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush; newer standard toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Replace your old toilet with a WaterSense labeled toilet. They use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, and can reduce the amount of water a family uses for toilets by 20 to 60 percent. Standard showerheads use 2.5 gallons per minute.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Replace showerheads with WaterSense labeled models<\/a>; replacing just one showerhead can save the average family 2,900 gallons of water. Your utility may even offer rebates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bathroom faucets use 2 gallons per minute.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Turn off the faucet while shaving or brushing your teeth (savings- more than 200 gallons of water per month). Washing machines and dishwashers<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Trade-in that old washing machine for a high\u2013efficiency model which uses less than 27 gallons per load (vs. traditional models which use between 27 and 54 gallons). Tips for the kitchen<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Plug up the sink or use a wash basin if washing dishes by hand. Outdoor water-savings tips<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the EPA, nearly 7 billion gallons of water (which accounts for 30 percent) is used daily by households in the United States just for outdoor water use. In the hot summer months, or in dry climates, a household’s outdoor water use can be as high as 70 percent. Here are some things you can do today:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Sweep driveways, sidewalks, and steps; don\u2019t use your hose. Have you reduced your water usage? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many households, their water bill is a big expense, and with drought conditions in various parts of the country, penalties for excessive water use are being added to many water bills. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an average family of four uses 400 gallons every day. On average, approximately 70 percent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[296,668],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Also, check for leaks! A running toilet can waste about 200 gallons every day.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Replace faucets and aerators with WaterSense labeled models to save even more.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Don\u2019t rinse dishes before loading the dishwasher (could save up to 10 gallons per load).
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Run full loads in the dishwasher
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Scrape plates instead of rinsing before loading them into the dishwasher.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Thaw food in the refrigerator overnight instead of running a stream of hot water over food
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Don\u2019t use the garbage disposal; start a compost pile in your yard.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Wash cars with water from a bucket, don\u2019t leave your hose running; use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0If you have a pool, use a cover to reduce evaporation when pool is not being used.<\/p>\n