It's less difficult than it might initially seem, and saving water at home will have a huge ripple-like impact on not only your neighborhood but also the environment at large. Plus, it'll help you save some money - always a good thing! Here are some tips to follow as you begin saving water at home:
-"Retrofit" your plumbing-i.e. have your showers, sinks and toilets modified to meet current efficiency standards. It would be more expensive to install new showers, sinks and toilets, but your water saving efforts can begin with some mild and mostly inexpensive tweaking of current equipment. For example, a "HydroRight" converter can reduce water usage by up to 8,050 gallons per year, a monetary savings of about .
Home
-Buy a tankless water heater. A tankless water heater is far more expensive than the traditional water heater, but you can counteract those costs with local, state and federal tax breaks. In addition, a tankless water heater - which heats only when the hot water faucet is turned on-can save you big bucks almost immediately (between 20 and 60 percent).
-Don't waste so much time waiting for the water to heat up in the shower-or, if you must, invest in a recirculation pump. Talk about a dream come true, for everyone saving water at home! Recirculation pumps contain a valve and timer that keep the hot water hot, which means you'll have hot water as soon as you turn the faucet in the shower. Recirculation pumps begin at around 0, but installing one will reap immediate dividends: It is believed that a recirculation pump saves a homeowner between 1,800 and 7,300 gallons of water per year.
-Reuse rainwater. Obviously, this works best in the rainier areas of the country, but you can attach a rain barrel to a rain gutter and use the water that collects there to water plants and the grass. Each rain barrel holds between 55 and 80 gallons of rainwater, which will go a long way towards keeping your plants and grass hydrated year-round. In addition, the iron in rainwater is great for your lawn and will make it the greenest on the block!
-Drink bottled water and/or install a water cooler at the house. There's no avoiding letting the faucets in the kitchen and bathroom run as you wash dishes and take a shower, respectively, but drinking bottled water or filling up cups from the water cooler will save untold amounts of water per year.
-If all else fails, remember: It's essential! Remarkably, the average family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day - FOUR HUNDRED GALLONS! By 2013, well over half of the United States - as many as 36 states - will have water shortages. Saving water at home will grow increasingly imperative over the next few years, and your water saving efforts will benefit your family for years to come.
Saving Water at Home
Caleb Haniquet is the President, Project Manager, and Lead Designer at Center Island Contracting, a Long Island, New York-based construction management and home remodeling company. With 26 years experience, and a member in good standing of NARI, NKBA, BBB and the LIBI, Center Island Contracting can be counted on for any residential or commercial construction management assignment.