Water Saving in the home - what are the financial savings?

Fresh water is a valuable commodity, reducing consumption, even in areas without shortages, is a great way of helping the environment. By reducing water usage, you will be reducing the amount of water extracted from nearby water sources, decreasing wastewater produced and treated at sewage plants, lowering energy costs and requirements for treating and transporting water and wastewater and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Here are some statistics that may surprise you:

• On average each person uses 150 litres of water a day to wash, cook and clean
• 70% of all freshwater is used to produce the food that we eat
• For every minute you spend in the shower 17 litres of water are used
• The average household flushes the toilet over 5000 times a year

Imagine how much difference just one small change could make; getting a low flush toilet for example would use six litres of water each time rather than the 13 litres an old style single flush would. That’s potentially saving 35,000 litres a year! By spending just a minute less in the shower each day you would save over 6000 litres a year. There are now even flow regulators that can be fitted into your existing system that will automatically reduce your water consumption. By  reducing the flow, your daily habits can continue as they are but each time you switch on a tap or have  shower you will be using less water.

What are the savings

1 litre of water costs around1p. If you have a water meter, you are generally charged for every cubic metre of water you use. 1 cubic metre equals 1,000 litres of water, which will cost you around £3 (when including the wastewater charge). Using the example of installing a more water efficient toilet, the savings to you for doing this would be in excess of £100 a year; well worth the initial investment and a great move for the environment too.

Rainwater Harvesting

So, we know how much water costs us, and we know that to save both the environment and our wallet we need to cut down our usage, but what about getting water for free?

Rainwater harvesting and can be used as a means of reducing water consumption in the home. 

Harvesting rainwater can be a great way of cutting down on mains water consumption. It’s something that almost anyone of us can do. By installing a water butt you could potentially harvest up to 50,000 litres of water a year.

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