Conserving Water

When it comes to conserving water, small actions can have a big impact.

Save Water, Save Money

The average household spends as much as $500 per year on its water and sewer bill. By making just a few simple changes to using water more efficiently, you could save about $170 per year.

If all households in the U.S. installed water-efficient appliances, the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $18 billion dollars per year! Also, when we use water more efficiently, we reduce the need for costly water supply infrastructure investments and new wastewater treatment facilities.

Save Water, Save Energy

It takes a considerable amount of energy to deliver and treat the water you use everyday. American public water supply and treatment facilities consume about 56 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year—enough electricity to power more than 5 million homes for an entire year. For example, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours.

By reducing household water use you can not only help reduce the energy required to supply and treat public water supplies but also can help address climate change. In fact:

If one out of every 100 American homes retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, we could save about 100 million kWh of electricity per year—avoiding 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That is equivalent to removing nearly 15,000 automobiles from the road for one year!

If 1 percent of American homes replaced their older, inefficient toilets with WaterSense labeled models, the country would save more than 38 million kWh of electricity—enough to supply more than 43,000 households electricity for one month.

Water Efficiency and the Environment

Depleting reservoirs and groundwater can put water supplies, human health, and the environment at serious risk. Lower water levels can contribute to higher concentrations of natural or human pollutants. Using water more efficiently helps maintain supplies at safe levels, protecting human health and the environment.

For more about conserving water, see How To Conserve Water With Bathroom Fixtures.

Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions about conserving water by clicking here.

Take this opportunity to sign up for our free monthly newsletter.

Find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements Try Angie’s List.