Water Conservation: Little Steps = Big Rewards
August 4, 2009 by Green Irene
Filed under Local, MN, Minneapolis, Water Conservation
Most people don’t think twice about their water bill until they start watering their lawn in the summer. Compared to other utilities water is very inexpensive for the end consumer compared to their natural gas bill in the winter, or their electric bill in the summer due to running the air all the time.
When it comes to our fresh water from the tap have you ever thought of just how much time, money and energy it takes to deliver that water to you? Just running your kitchen tap for five minutes can cause your local water treatment plant to use enough energy to light a bulb for 8 hours!
Last year we decided to take a look at our water usage in our home. First stop, faucets. We noticed our faucets were running 2 gpm (gallons per minute) or higher. We swapped those out with 1½ gpm aerators. Next, the toilet. It is an older model with that runs 4 gpf (gallons per flush), but we never thought about replacing the toilet. Quite honestly, when a toilet breaks it’s usually a trip to the local hardware store and $20 later it’s fixed.
Instead of replacing we decided to give some products a try. We used the Green Irene Fill Cycle Diverter and the Toilet Tank Bank. I also had an adjustable flapper that I had purchased previously but never installed. After installing these toilet items, our toilet now flushes and refills faster than I ever thought possible.
We didn’t replace the showerhead at that time; we couldn’t decide what model to go with. The next month our water bill came and I couldn’t believe it. With just $20 and a commitment to ourselves to use our water smarter in our home, we reduced our consumption and waste water by an entire unit! That’s 800 gallons! This was during non-watering months so it was probably the best data we could ask for in our test.
This is just an example of how all the little things add up around your home. On average, over the past year our utility bills are a combined 20% lower just by implementing some Green Irene tactics on top of what we considered already “Green.”
Chris Hughes, Minneapolis, MN
Green Consultant
http://www.greenirene.com/MNgreenteam
MN.greenteam@greenirene.com
Great to know the many things that you are doing to conserve water. As you know water shortage is a growing problem worldwide and places like Southern California are facing a decline in fresh water levels. Small steps like turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, installing a smart sprinkler controller, fixing leaky faucets, and washing only full loads of laundry will help in minimizing water usage.
How much on average do you pay now for water? Originally how much did water cost for you?