Livinghouse

Like other natural resources, we don’t have a limitless supply of water. For instance, did you know that only 3% of the Earth’s water is suitable for drinking? Apparently 2% of that is not actually available to us as it is frozen. The remaining 97% is salt water. This percentage of available water is the same as when time began – or the earth was populated. It’s a finite resource.

In many parts of the world, people don’t actually have access to safe water – only about 1 person in 10 experiences this luxury. Lack of clean water leads to disease and death.

Meanwhile we take it for granted that when we turn on the tap, water will run from it. In fact most of us not only expect this, but have hot water on demand too. And of course the toilet uses water to flush away waste too. On average each home does this 5,000 times a year. In fact, most homes have at least one bathroom with good sanitation facilities – if not more.

Conserving water

We are now using water faster than natural sources can replace it, so it’s important that we think about how we use this commodity. After all, we need water for life and food.

Conserving water not only ensures we have enough in times of drought – hard to believe after this year’s monumental flooding – and for future generations. If we use our water carefully, we can also save the energy needed to process it.

Energy use and climate change all affect the future and affect our weather patterns, so think hard about how you use water now and take some easy precautions:

1. Don’t leave taps running even while you clean your teeth – it can waste 6 litres a minute!
2. Fix dripping taps – they can waste 5,500 litres of water annually.
3. Fit taps and shower heads with flow restrictors to reduce water use.
4. Take a short shower rather than filling a bath. But remember, power showers can also use a huge amount of water, so try and limit your shower time.
5. Make sure you have a full load of washing.
6. And a full dishwasher load before turning them on.
7. Always use the plug in your sink when you are washing things in it.
8. Install a modern toilet with a dual flush system. It’s likely to use between 6 – 7 litres per flush, as opposed to 13!
9. Alternatively install a ‘save-a-flush’ or a Cistern Displacement Device in your cistern. This can save between 1 and 3 litres of water every flush.
10. If you’re feeling really ‘flush’ (excuse the pun), invest in one of the new sink/toilet designs where waste water from the sink is used to flush the loo.
11. In future only buy water and energy efficient appliances.
12. Install a water butt in your garden to collect rainwater and use this to water your garden and wash the car.

Why not contact us for advice on water saving bathroom fixtures and fittings?