Cheaper Utility Bills - Water

The Ecofreak Guide to Cheaper Utility Bills.

1. How to Reduce Your Energy Bills

2. How to Reduce your Water Bills.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR WATER BILLS

1. MEND DRIPPING TAPS

A dripping tap can fill a bath in a day. If it's a hot tap the water wasted may have been heated as well.

2. TURN OFF THE TAP

Use the plug when you wash hands, dishes or veggies instead of washing under a running tap. This will save energy as well if you are using hot water.

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and you will save approximately 6 litres of water per minute.

3. REDUCE FLUSH VOLUMES

Approximately one third of our daily water use is for nothing more than flushing the toilet. That can be up to 50 litres per day of best quality potable water straight down the pan! Reduce toilet flush volumes with the use of a Hippo water saver.

Ecofreak products that can help : Hippo the Water Saver

4. FILL UP THE MACHINE

Fill up your washing machine and dishwasher before using or, if you can't, make sure you use the half-load or economy programme facility to save water and energy.

5. TAKE A SHOWER

Take a shower instead of a bath. A five minute shower only uses one third of the water that a bath does and saves energy too. Just watch out if you have got a power shower as these can use as much as 25 litres of water every minute. If you do take a bath resist the temptation to overfill it (the girl from the old Flake advert must have spent a fortune on hot water - and plasterers for the kitchen ceiling!).

Ecofreak products that can help : Efergy Showertime , Shower Timer Duck , Shower Timer Frog

6. WASH THE CAR WITH A BUCKET OF WATER

Wash your car with a bucket of water not a hosepipe.

7. IF YOU WATER YOUR GARDEN....

Soak your plants once a week rather than watering daily
Water in the cool early morning or evening to reduce loss through evaporation
Use a watering can, not a hose. If you do use a hose, fit a trigger nozzle to control the flow
Mulches such as wood chips, bark and gravel help to prevent water evaporation.

8. SAVE RAIN WATER

Rainwater is a free and abundant resource in the UK. Collect rainwater from your roof and use it for watering the garden, washing the car or even washing clothes and flushing the loo. Systems range from water butts through to an integral rainwater harvesting system providing water for non potable uses back in the house.

9. SAVE GREY WATER

So called "grey water" from baths, showers and washing machines can be collected and re-used for watering the garden (if not heavily loaded with detergents), washing the car and even flushing the loo.

Ecofreak products that can help : Water Two