Water Conservation Tips

If your water bills have been creeping higher and higher and you’re looking for ways to use less water, here are some tips for water conservation.

Know Your Usage

Tip: Check out this Smart Home Water Guide for ways to investigate and solve unexplained high water bills and the leaks that may be causing them.

Tip: Use real-time leak detection linked to your mobile device. A variety of commercial products will not only generate alerts when usage deviates from your norm, but also help you understand how much water you use and when. 

Tip: Read your home's water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.

Tip: Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a toilet leak that should be repaired promptly.

Check Your Irrigation System

Tip: Decrease water used for irrigation by limiting turf areas that require a large amount of water, along with other plants that have moderate to high water needs. Replace them with hearty, local, native plants that can survive with less water and less maintenance.

Tip: If you must irrigate, invest in smart irrigation system controllers that account for such things as soil moisture, rain, soil and plant types, and other important variables.

Tip: Ask your landscaper about grasscycling and mulch mowing of leaves to help reduce water loss through evapotranspiration. This may also reduce the use of lawn fertilizers, as well as the overall cost of your landscaping service contract.

Tip: Consider rainwater capture as a means to reduce consumption associated with outdoor watering. Rain barrels are one option, but larger capacity solutions are available. 

Reduce In-Home Water Use

Tip: Invest in EPA WaterSense labeled products, which perform as well as their counterparts, but with at least 20% less water use. Install low flow shower heads and aerator screens on faucets to reduce water consumption, and consider investing in an instant hot water heater, rather than relying on inefficient hot water tanks.

Tip: Change your behavior. Pay attention to the small things: turn off the water while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers and turn off the water while washing, or take a brief shower instead of a bath.