My personal notes for:
101 Ways to Save Money - #2 Save Water
***None of the following are my words, theseare just notes I took after conducting a quick general research on how
to safe water. At the end of this document I submitted all the URL links of the website I used for reference. ***
American's have access to an abundance of water much of the time, so the importance of clean water is
often overlooked. For most of us, water use is a habit. We are accustomed to having water available at the
twist of a faucet. We usually do not think about how much water we use.
1. Benefits of saving water
By using water wisely you can reduce water usage without compromising your lifestyle. You will:
• keep your water bills down
• make large savings on your energy bills for water heating
• reduce the risk of water restrictions
• reduce your impact on the environment
2. Estimated water consumption
A: Estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. Are you surprised that the largest
use of household water is to flush the toilet, and after that, to take showers and baths? That is why, in these days
of water conservation, we are starting to see toilets and showers that use less water than before. Many local
governments now have laws that specify that water faucets, toilets, and showers only allow a certain amount of
water flow per minute. In fact, if you look real close at the head of a faucet, you might see something like "1.5
gpm,", which means that the faucet head will allow water to flow at a maximum of 1.5 gallons per minute.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/qahome.html
Your washing machine and dishwasher cost you $1 per load including water, energy, detergent and machine wear
costs.
The average household spends $300 a year on baths and showers including water and heating costs.
Be aware of how much water you use! Awareness is the first step in conservation. The average person uses fifty
gallons of water per day on the following activities:
· Toilet - 19 gallons per day
· Bathing & hygiene - 15 gallons per day
· Laundry - eight gallons per day
· Kitchen - seven gallons per day
· Housekeeping - one gallon per day
TOTAL 50 GALLONS
Toilet flush(single flush cistern) 12 litres
Bath 100 litres
Shower (10 minutes) 200 litres
Dishwasher load 50 litres
Washing machine load 150 litres
Brushing teeth with tap running 5 litres
Drinking, cooking, cleaning per Person per day 10 litres
Hand basin per use 5 litres
Garden sprinkler per hour 1000 litres
Garden dripper per hour 4 litres
Car washing with hose 200 litres
Hosing driveway 100 litres
Total daily consumption per household 900 litres
3. Calculate water usage
Water calculator = http://www.awwa.org/awwa/waterwiser/dripcalc.cfm
http://www.csgnetwork.com/waterusagecalc.html
Leaks inside the toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day. Toilet leaks can be detected by
adding a few drops of food coloring to water in the toilet tank. If the colored water appears in the
bowl, the toilet is leaking.
Metered Water
If your water use is metered, review your water bill. Divide your water usage by the number of
days in the billing period and also by the number of residents of your household. If your water is
measured in cubic feet, convert to gallons by multiplying by 7.48.
A simple check can be made by following these steps:
1 TURN OFF everything in your house that uses water.
2 LOOK AT YOUR METER and note down the numbers on the RED dials.
3 WAIT FOR AT LEAST 1 HOUR (with all taps still turned off).
4 RELOOK AT YOUR METER: Any movement on the red dials indicates you have a leak.
NEW STYLE METERS are even easier to detect a leak:
1 TURN OFF everything in your house that uses water.
2 LOOK AT YOUR METER. There is a small triangle in the centre of the face. This triangle is called a
low-flow
indicator.
3 CHECK TO SEE IF THE TRIANGLE IS TURNING. The low-flow indicator SHOULD NOT be
moving. Any movement of the triangle indicates you have a leak.
4 CHECK YOUR HOUSE FOR DRIPPING TAPS, dribbling cisterns, or unusual damp patches in the
garden. Consult a plumber for assistance if needed.
Unmetered Water
If your water use is not metered, you must determine your water use for each fixture. Flow rates
for showers and faucets can be measured by using a container and watch to measure the amount
of water discharged through the fitting in a minute. Toilet use per flush can be approximated by
measuring the volume of water inside the toilet tank (width x length x height) and dividing by 231.
(There are 231 cubic inches in a gallon of water.) After you have determined the water use of each
fixture, you will need to record the number of uses and the length of time each fixture is used to
determine your average daily water use. Remember to estimate the amount of water used by
appliances such as clothes washers and dishwashers as well as home water treatment systems.
Water-saving devices are economical and permanent. Low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators
save valuable water and energy used to heat water without requiring changes in personal water
use habits.
HOW MUCH WATER IS LOST FROM A LEAKING TAP??
WATER LOSS RATE WATER LOSS VOLUME
2.9 ml/min
One drop per second 4.176 litres/day
117 litres/month
1,513 litres/year
8.9 ml/min
12.82 litres/day
Two drops per second
385 litres/month
4,678 litres/year
61 ml/min
88.32 litres/day
Drops breaking into a stream
2,649 litres/month
32,327 litres/year
683 ml/min
984 litres/day
3.2mm Stream
29,523 litres/month
359,160 litres/year
2431 ml (2.43 litres)/min
3,501 litres/day
6.4mm Stream
105,034 litres/month
1,277,865 litres (1.278ML)/yea
http://www.rwcc.com.au/f6.html
English Links
http://www.rwcc.com.au/f6.html
http://www.usagreen.org/waterConservation.html
http://www.h2ouse.org/
http://www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/
http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/ResAudit.pdf
Spanish Links
http://www.aguasdesevilla.com/infantil/infan/cons.htm
http://www.internatura.org/educa/agua10.html
http://actualidad.terra.es/articulo/html/av2518864.htm
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/11/10/ciencia/1131620228.html
http://www.enbuenasmanos.com/articulos/muestra.asp?art=311
