Green living: Reduce Home Water Consumption

by Sam Marquit

Water consumption needs to be reduced in all areas of the country. As a Long Island resident, I know firsthand how expensive the water bill can be. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to determine which sources used the most water in my home, and I was actually quite surprised by the results.

The Washer

My family doesn’t waste laundry loads or wash clothes unnecessarily. I was surprised to learn that our washer was, in fact, one of our major water consumers (they average more than 20% of domestic water usage). The culprit here was an outdated machine and a small leak we never noticed. Our washer is in the basement, and I guess we never realized that there was a problem.

We upgraded our machine to a high-efficiency washer, and now it uses considerably less each month. It’s an eco-friendly model that also uses 50% less electricity. To further reduce our carbon footprint, we wait as long as possible to fill the washer instead of doing many small loads.

Shower Usage

I always thought that as a family, we didn’t consume as much shower water as other family units. I was dead wrong. My teenagers use the shower for an hour at a time. My wife also uses quite a bit of water when she showers and gets ready for work. Our gallon usage was at least double that of the average family, and it’s not something we realized. Chances are, your household is using too much water in the shower too.

To cut back I turned down the water heater thermostat. When the shower gets colder quickly, people are less likely to spend time in there. Additionally, everyone in the household must spend only 15 minutes in the shower with the water running. I installed multiple switches so the water can be turned off while shaving, lathering and doing other things. This saves us thousands of gallons per month.

Using low-flow shower heads can cut water usage in half.

The Hot Tub

When I bought my home from  Long Island Real Estate, I was thrilled to learn that the house came with a hot tub. What I wasn’t expecting was that they use quite a bit of water. Since it can be used all year I found myself lounging in it more often than I should have been. The warm water was so nice on cold winter days, but it did require regular cleaning.

To make my hot tub usage more environmentally friendly, I hooked up a better filtration system. This allows me to reuse the water for longer periods of time, and it also lowered my water bill.

Lowering Your Carbon Footprint

I lowered my carbon footprint by following a few simple steps. It didn’t take that much effort, and the outcome made me feel better about my choices. It was also nice to see a smaller water bill with less water being consumed each month.

This is a guest blog by Sam Marquit who is an entrepreneur, home improvement specialist, and part time blogger. Feel free to visit Sam’s blog, and don’t forget to connect with him @fmarquitv. Want to guest blog yourself? Sure! We’d love that. Contact us today.