10 Quick & Easy Ways to Start Saving Water Today
27 August 2021 15:45
We’ve all seen the news reports of forest fires and rising temperatures around the globe.
Our planet is heating up and that’s going to make water even more precious than it already is.
Now you might be thinking, “Northern Ireland doesn’t need to worry, sure we’ve plenty of rain!”
But the reality is we do need to worry.
No matter how much it rains, we can only store so much.
And it takes a lot of time and money to clean that rainwater and make it safe for our taps.
When there’s a dry spell, our water network really feels the pressure.
Hoses, hot-tubs, paddling pools and sprinklers go into overdrive all across NI.
It’s impossible to store, process and supply enough water to keep up with that demand.
So it puts our limited water supply at risk.
It may even mean access to water has to be limited at times to make sure everyone has enough for essentials like drinking and cooking.
Not only that, but the process of treating all that water uses a lot of energy, so increased demand for water affects the environment too.
But we can all help take the pressure off our water network.
Here are ten really quick and easy ways to start preserving water right now.
1. Spare the sprinkler
You don’t need to use a sprinkler on that lawn – especially not overnight.
Your grass may go a little brown during a dry spell but it’ll bounce right back as soon as the rain returns.
2. Take a shower instead of baths
We all need a scrub (especially when it’s hot outside!) but it doesn’t need to be in the tub.
A bath can use up to 100 litres of water, whereas an efficient shower uses under 50 litres.
Watch out for power showers though – those things sometimes use even more water than a bath. Yikes.
3. Speedier showers
Made the switch to showers? Good job.
Now challenge yourself to make it a shorter one.
Showering for just one minute less than usual can save up to 10,000 litres of water per year! Wow.
4. Old school car-washing
If you really really need to wash your car, the go retro and do it the good old bucket and sponge way.
You’ll use much less water than if you take the garden hose too it.
Plus you don’t have to wind the whole thing back up again. Bonus.
5. Fill those machines
Dishwashers and washing machines use between 40 – 60 litres of water per cycle.
So try to use them less often if you can, or at least wait until they’re full before you fire them up.
6. Carry the can
Dust off the old watering can if you need to water any plants.
Using your hose to do it can waste up to 135 litres of water every 15 minutes.
7. Stop that tap
Do you leave the tap running when you brush your teeth?
Well you can make a big difference by stopping that tap, because you could actually be wasting up to 6 litres per minute.
8. Grab a water butt
Water butts are large barrels that can be used to collect rainwater.
The water can then be used to water your lawn and plants when a dry spell hits.
You can even use it to wash cars and windows.
9. Keep your cool
Do you do that run-the-tap-until-it’s-cold thing when you want a glass of water?
Well, that’s actually letting a lot of good water go to waste.
But if you keep a jug of water in the fridge then you’ll always have icy cold water to drink and nothing will be wasted.
10. Fix that leak
A dripping tap can waste up to 30 litres of water every single day!
It’s time to get the spanner out and make sure all those taps are nice and watertight.
These are all little changes you can start making today.
They don’t take much time, effort or money, but they could make a huge difference to our water supply.
You’ll be protecting Northern Ireland’s water and helping to protect our environment.
To find out more about saving water, go to: niwater.com/water-saving