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Hello again prospective money savers, and welcome to the second in our series of bill slashing Super Savers series, with me, H₂Oliver! This time, we’ll be looking at how you can reduce water and energy costs by making a few simple changes to how you and your co-residents use water around the house.
Franziska from Progressio Ireland has been kind enough to answer some tricky questions and help the Super Savers start slashing your bills!
While fresh water is not commonly thought of as a resource that is running low, there is an increasingly finite supply that is being reduced each day as the Earth’s population begins to grow. Only 2.5% of all water on earth is drinkable, the rest is salt water and almost 70% of the fresh water on Earth is frozen solid in Antarctica’s and Greenland’s icecaps, so that’s a little out of reach!
In developing countries, fresh water scarcity contributes massively towards food insecurity and malnutrition. In 2006, recurrent drought caused crop failures and heavy livestock losses in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The average person in the developing world uses 10L a day for drinking, cooking and cleaning. The average European uses 200L!
On top of the ecological reasons for preserving a fresh water supply, cutting down water wastage in your home will help you reduce utility costs, resulting in a much more affordable annual living cost!
Did you know that around 2/3 of the water used in the average home is used in the bathroom? It’s true! And by making a few simple changes to how you use your bathroom, you can reduce water wastage massively!
It’s popular knowledge that taking a shower generally uses less water than filling a full bathtub, but this goes of the assumption that each person in the house spends a relatively short amount of time in the shower. If you regularly spend more than ten minutes taking a shower, it’s very likely that you’re in fact using MORE water than it would take to fill a full bath. Calculate this by how long each person in your home spends taking a shower, and you may be shocked to realise just how much water you are wasting.
This applies to taps too! By purchasing an aerator or aerated taps, you can half water usage once again with the use of those handy air bubbles!
Here’s a clever tip that can help you reduce the amount of water used each time you flush the toilet. Using a displacement device such as a Hippo Bag will allow you to displace between 1 and 3L if water that the cistern is filled with, and therefore used in each flush. You can also make a makeshift model by filling a plastic bottle with half sand and half water, and popping that in the cistern!
The kitchen can be responsible for water wastage too; the overuse of dishwashers, washing machines and kitchen sinks can costs bill payers a pretty penny without a doubt!
Next, only use washing machines and dishwashers for full loads. This can save a varied but huge amount of water a day, especially if you have a large family or are house sharing and have several loads to wash each week.
Small habits like running the tap unnecessarily may seem insignificant, but the wasted water can mount up massively over time. Instead of running a tap and waiting for the water to go cold when thirsty, fill a jug with water and put it in the fridge. Also, when rinsing fruit and vegetables under the tap, fill a bowl with water and rinse them in there, then reuse that water to keep your garden plants hydrated!
Keeping plants and grass looking healthy and colourful often calls for regular watering, especially during summer months. Many people however, use far too much water to keep their garden hydrated. Our pals at Pride Home Services have sent us some cracking water saving tips for use in the garden!
While tacking your gardening tasks, use a watering can instead of a hose, this will allow you to use water much more sparingly, whilst still giving your garden all the water it needs!
Also, water your garden strategically; watering early in the day or later in the evening can minimise evaporation caused by the hot sun shining down on the ground.
When cleaning your decking, be sure to use a bucket of hot water and a scrubbing brush instead of a hose or jet wash. While it may take longer to clean the decking by hand, it’s certainly a lot friendlier on the wallet!
There are tons more garden-related tips and tricks to be found on the Pride Home Services blog, so be sure to give them a visit!
Water saving in the garden can cut your spend on bills dramatically, particularly during summer, so don’t skip these useful tips when gardening this year.
So there we are; a whole bunch of great energy saving tips from our good friend Franziska at Progressio Ireland. Be sure to check back soon for more bill-crunching eco tips and advice!
Progressio Ireland work in partnership with local organisations in 11 countries through their skill-sharing and development worker programme to facilitate people’s active participation in their own development. As part of promoting a sustainable environment, they work extensively on water issues in partner countries as well as in Ireland.
