The world is changing. Water all over the world is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, but it’s one that nobody can live without. In the last few days the South African city of Cape Town announced that it was running out of water and now people living in the city are very restricted on how much water they can use. Depending on where you’re reading this, the need to reduce water consumption could be different, but it’s something we all need to do!
Surprisingly, most things that we can all do are very easy and at no cost; just a small change in behavior. Small changes like this can also save you money on your water bills, bills that will only increase in the coming decades.
1. Four Minute Showers
This is perhaps the easiest of all behaviors to change. It’s a standard length of time that many governments around the world advise on because it’s a long enough time to shower, but not too long that a lot of water is used unnecessarily. Showering for four minutes uses approximately 32 litres of water when used with a water-efficient showerhead (which will be discussed later).
You don’t even have to time it. Find one of your favorite songs and listen to that whilst you’re in the shower. Most songs are around 4 minutes long, making it a great natural timer.
2. Turning The Tap Off When Brushing Your Teeth
It’s something that eats me up inside when I see family and friends letting the tap run when they’re cleaning their teeth. It’s so not needed and it can waste a couple of litres every time!
3. Half-Flushes
Many modern toilets come with this possibility now. Full flushes usually use around 5-9 litres depending on efficiency but using a half-flush, which is often all that is needed, can limit the amount of water used at just 2-3 litres. Certainly better than letting it ‘mellow’…
4. Only Fill The Kettle With What You Need
Most modern kettles show you how much water there is inside it and roughly how many cups of tea that will make. Try not to over-fill it for more than you need.
And it’s not just water you’ll be saving. The amount of energy required and the time it takes to boil a full kettle is much larger than filling the kettle with the amount of water you need to make yourself a cup of tea. I’m just trying to save some precious seconds you’d be spending waiting for it to boil if it was full…
5. Tap Aerators/Lo-Flo Technology
This is where small costs can be included but are available at most hardware or DIY stores. Tap aerators mix air into the water to reduce the amount of water that is used almost without knowing. Chances are if your tap seems to almost bubble then there is already one of these aerators in the tap.
Lo-Flo shower heads are another way to reduce the amount of water we use. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t mean standing in a shower where water seems to just dribble out. By adding bubbled air into the water it can reduce the amount that is used it without a drop in pressure.
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