With household bills and general cost of living ever increasing here are some top tips and tricks to minimise water usage.
The Water Saving Week campaign highlights the growing importance of taking care with how we use water, to not only support the wider economic picture but also save you money.
James Bell, Resident Service Manager at Grainger’s shares his simple household hacks to reduce the water usage in your home:
Flip the system and use the plug
“When running a bath, it is tempting to allow the hot tap to run until warm, subsequently adding cold water to ensure the water is a comfortable temperature for dipping. Simply reverse the procedure and pop in the plug, allowing the cool water to build the base of your bath.
No later than 60 seconds later, the hot water will run and heat the water, creating the perfect temperature for bathing, whilst saving you litres of unnecessarily wasted water down the drain.”
Stop those leaks for good
“It goes without saying that nobody wants a leaky tap, however did you know that a dripping tap for a week can fill a bath? So once and for all, stop putting it on your to do list and get your leaky taps fixed to avoid huge water waste.
Additionally, leaky loos waste around 400 litres of clean water a day, which works out as the equivalent of having an extra two people living in your home. Fix the loo and cut your water bills!”
Turn off the taps
“Whilst reducing the total length of your shower is common advice for saving water, turning the taps down to reduce the water pressure, whilst you lather up your hair or whilst you soap yourself, is also advantageous and can save you 680 litres in wasted water per month.
“Additionally, turning off the tap when brushing your teeth saves a staggering 12 litres of water every time you brush.
“Installing simple devices like water efficient taps and showers will save both water and energy by minimising the use of heated water and an efficient showerhead could reduce household bills by up to £120 per year.”
Be smart with your dishwashing
“If you only have a small amount of washing up to do, it is always best to hand wash dishes in the sink as opposed to running a dishwasher. However, if you do regularly use your dishwasher, packing your dishwasher badly could be costing you.
My top tip boils down to your dishwasher packing technique, treat it almost like a game of Tetris.
Make sure you are utilising all the space available within the machine, pack cups, glasses and cooking utensils on the top shelf of the dishwasher, leaving space below for plates to be neatly stacked in a row, with bowls and casserole dishes.
Alternatively short cycles or eco settings can work wonders for cutting the time the appliance is in use as well as amount of water.”
Don’t overfill the kettle
“Brits love a good cuppa, however many have a habit of filling the kettle to the brim each time, even if it’s just for one cup of tea. Ideally boil only what you need and this will save water and energy as you’re only using the water and energy you specifically need at that moment in time.”
