3 Ways You're Wasting Water (and How to Stop)

At the start of a new year, it’s pretty common to set goals to better yourself. Maybe you want to get in better shape, or learn a new skill, or maybe you want to be more environmentally friendly. One big way you can accomplish that last one is to lower your water usage. Here are three ways you’re wasting water, and what you can do to fix that.

Leaking fixtures

A dripping faucet, shower head, or always running toilet might not seem like a big deal, but each one of these fixtures can waste hundreds of gallons of water a year. If you have more than one in your home, you could be sending astronomical amounts of water literally down the drain.

The best way to fix this is to, well, fix them. Get a plumber out to address leaks that you can’t solve, and watch your water bill shrink.

Outdated appliances

A modern, efficient dishwasher uses less water than washing a sink full of dishes by hand, but both of them use less water than using an old dishwasher. 

If your dishwasher is a guzzler, consider replacing it with something that bears the EnergyStar label so you know it’s built to work efficiently.

Sprinkler systems

A green lawn is a point of pride for many people, but a standard irrigation system can use over one thousand gallons of water in a simple 20 minute cycle - and that’s for a small lawn. If your sprinklers run twice a day…you can do the math.

There are a few things you can do to reduce use. Consider rainwater collection barrels to water your plants and bushes. Cut the sprinkler cycle length in half to immediately halve usage (run the system early in the morning and late at night to prevent evaporation from peak temperatures). Or just do away with running the system and admit that your lawn is going to turn to dust every August no matter what you do.