WATER
A few simple steps which can help reduce water consumption and your water bill:
1 1 Backwashing of swimming pools. Often carried out by pool cleaners on a weekly basis as part of their maintenance. This practice consumes a large amount of water and is usually unnecessary unless your pool has a large volume of use or is dirty. You will know that it is time to perform the backwashing routine when the pressure gauge indicates a pressure rise of 8-10 pounds above the clean or "startup" pressure. If your pool has only slight use and is not dirty, ensure your pool cleaner does not backwash until the pressure gauge indicates it is needed.
2 2 Ensure you have a fully loaded dish washer and/or washing machine before using.
3 3 Take a plastic bottle [size will be determined by the size of your cistern] filled with stones, sand or water, screw the top on, and place it into your toilet cistern. This will reduce the quantity of water used to flush. Ensure it is placed away from the operating mechanism. Ensure at least 3 gallons of water remain in the cistern to ensure efficient flushing. Remember too the old saying - if it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down!
4 4 Take showers instead of baths.
5 5 Do not leave the tap running whilst brushing your teeth, cleaning a razor or washing vegetables.
6 6 Take a water meter reading on a weekly basis and keep a note of this. Mark on this list if you have had visitors or if there was a week when for some reason you used more water than usual. If you have a water leak, or your water is being stolen, you will pick this up sooner. You also have something to check your water bill against. If you don't have meter readings to hand, by the time your bill appears you will not be able to remember if or why your consumption was higher than usual.
7 7 Keep a bottle of water in the fridge for drinking – this avoids running the drinking water until it is cold
8 8 Review watering of your garden – if plants are well established daily watering is not required. Plants in pots will require more regular watering as they dry out. Plant using drought friendly varieties. If you have a watering system, use this early morning or late evening to avoid water wastage due to evaporation. Also avoid using a sprinkler system when it is windy as the wind is likely to disperse the spray away from the intended area. Invest in a timer based control for automatic garden watering [useful if you tend to set the watering system running and forget about it for several hours!] – but you will also need a check in place to monitor if the batteries need changing.
9 9 If you spend a lot of time away from your property, fit a lock to your outside tap – this will prevent theft or unauthorised use of your water. Remember once water has gone through your meter, you will be charged for it - regardless of whether you have used it, it has been stolen or you have a leak.