Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Listen: Listen to this page [1]
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It's easy to conserve water, and you'll benefit through lower costs and a drier, more
comfortable home.
There are lots of ways to reduce the amount of water you use. Using less water
helps you save money and helps the environment.
Every time we turn on the tap we are using water that had to be treated to make it
safe to drink. Once we have used this water it will have to be treated to make it safe
to return to the environment. This water treatment uses resources and costs
money. We can all help reduce our impact on the environment by reducing the
amount of water we use.
You can buy water-saving appliances or install low-flow fittings, but the easiest way
to save water is to think about how you use it.
Turn off the tap
By turning off the tap when you are brushing your teeth you can save thousands of
litres of water a year. When you do have the tap running, turn it on part-way. You'll
get plenty of water for washing your hands or brushing your teeth - and you won't
get splashed.
Fix leaks
Fix leaking taps and pipes promptly. Leaks waste far more water than you'd think.
If you have a tap that drips at 50ml per minute (an egg cup full), you'll be losing 72
litres of water a day. Over the course of a year, that's more than 26,000 litres enough to fill a family-sized swimming pool. If it is leaking from the hot tap, that
unused water could cost more than $200 a year to heat. A leaky hose can waste
even more water - up to 60,000 litres in a year. In addition, leaking taps can cause
dampness and condensation in your home.
Reduce water flow
Water flow is the rate water comes out of your taps and showerheads. You don't
need your showerhead to deliver more than nine litres of water a minute, or your
taps six litres a minute, yet some use three times that much. By switching to
water-efficient taps and showerheads, or installing water restrictors, you can save
significant amounts of water.
Page 1 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Save water in your kitchen and laundry
The kitchen and laundry account for 30% of household water use - roughly 180
litres per day - and much of this water is wasted. Simple actions and careful choice
of appliances can reduce your water use in these areas.
Use the plug
If you rinse a lot of muddy clothes under a running tap, you could be sending as
much as 100 litres of water down the drain. That's enough to do a whole load of
washing. Instead, use a bucket or part-fill the tub instead of running water.
The same applies in the kitchen. If you're rinsing dishes or food in the kitchen, put
in the plug and part-fill the sink instead of running water throughout.
Fill a jug
Keep a water jug in the fridge in summer so you don't have to run the tap for ages
to get your water cold enough for a drink. It will also help save water when filling
pots for cooking or the kettle. If your water is chlorinated, it also reduces the
chlorine flavour.
Scrape dishes or use the dishwasher's eco rinse
Rinsing plates in the sink can waste many litres of water and is often unnecessary.
Generally, it is enough just to scrape plates before putting them in the dishwasher.
Choose the right appliances
Page 2 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Choose appliances that are the right size for your household, so it's practical to run
them only when they're full. And choose models that use energy and water
efficiently.
Don't run appliances half-empty
Fully load your dishwasher and washing machine before running them. Typically,
the 'half-load' setting on dishwashers tends to use much more than half the water
and energy of a full load. Choose eco-settings where practical to save water and
energy.
Compost your food scraps
In-sink waste disposal units waste a lot of water. They can also overload sewage
systems. A better option is to compost your food waste - that way, you can also
feed your garden.
Save water in your bathroom and toilet
Together, the bathroom and toilet account for half of the water used by most
households. The toilet alone flushes 25% of household water down the drain. Dual
flush toilets save water.
Take showers not baths
A typical bath uses 180 litres of water. A typical shower uses anything from 20 to
100 litres, depending on how long you stay in. To save water and save on hot water
bills: Take showers instead of baths and keep your showers short. Turn the shower
on only when you're ready to get in.
Small changes in how we use water can save a huge amount of water over time.
Ready for a quiz? [3]
[3]
Page 3 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Every time we turn on the tap we are using water that had to be treated to make it
safe to drink. Once we have used this water it will have to be treated to make it safe
to return to the environment. This water treatment uses resources and costs
money. We can all help reduce our impact on the environment by using less water.
The easiest way to save water is to think about how you use it.
Turn off the tap
By turning off the tap when you are brushing your teeth you can save thousands of
litres of water a year. When you do have the tap running, turn it on part-way. You'll
get plenty of water for washing your hands or brushing your teeth - and you won't
get splashed.
Fix leaks
Fix leaking taps and pipes promptly. Leaks waste far more water than you'd think.
If you have a tap that drips at 50ml per minute (an egg cup full), you'll be losing 72
litres of water a day.
Reduce water flow
Water flow is the rate water comes out of your taps and showerheads. You don't
need your showerhead to deliver more than nine litres of water a minute, or your
taps six litres a minute, yet some use three times that much. Switch to
water-efficient taps and showerheads.
Save water in your kitchen and laundry
Nearly a third of household water is used in the kitchen and laundry and much of
this water is wasted. Simple actions and careful choice of appliances can reduce
your water use in these areas.
Use the plug
If you are rinsing clothes or dishes, put in the plug and part-fill the sink instead of
running water throughout.
Fill a jug
Keep a water jug in the fridge in summer so you don't have to run the tap for ages
to get your water cold enough for a drink. If your water is chlorinated, it also
reduces the chlorine flavour.
Page 4 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Scrape dishes or use the dishwasher's eco rinse
Rinsing plates in the sink can waste many litres of water and is often not needed. It
is usually enough just to scrape plates before putting them in the dishwasher.
Choose the right appliances
Choose appliances that are the right size for your household, so you can run them
only when they're full. And choose models that use less water and energy.
Don't run appliances half-empty
Fully load your dishwasher and washing machine before running them. Often the
'half-load' setting tends to use much more than half the water and energy of a full
load. Choose eco-settings to save water and energy.
Compost your food scraps
In-sink waste disposal units waste a lot of water. They can also overload sewage
systems. A better option is to compost your food waste - that way, you can also
feed your garden.
Save water in your bathroom and toilet
Together, the bathroom and toilet account for half of the water used by most
households. The toilet alone flushes 25% of household water down the drain. Dual
flush toilets save water.
Page 5 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Take showers not baths
Showers use less water than baths depending on how long you stay in the shower.
To save water and save on hot water bills: Take showers instead of baths and keep
your showers short. Turn the shower on only when you're ready to get in.
Small changes in how we use water can save a huge amount of water over time.
Ready for a quiz? [3]
[3]
Māori keywords:
Audio Maori keywords:
whakauka - conserve [4]
whakahaere - manage [5]
taiao - environment [6]
hiringa - energy [7]
tiaki - to guard, save [8]
rauemi - resource [9]
What will you do to save water in your home?
What will you do to save water in your home?
Page 6 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
[10]
Leaking taps waste a lot of water and should be fixed as soon as possible.
Image: Wikimedia Commons [11].
[12]
Put the plug in to save water. Image: LEARNZ.
[13]
Page 7 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
Take a short shower rather than a bath and use a shower with a restricted
water flow. Image: LEARNZ.
[14]
When choosing things like a dishwasher or washing machine look for models
that use less water. Image: WELS [15].
Source URL: http://www.learnz.org.nz/water172/conserving-water
Links
[1] http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/conserving-water.mp3?uuid=59
7f13b812295
[2] http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/conserving-water-easy.mp3?uui
d=597f13b811d29
[3]
http://activities.learnz.org.nz/wt172/wt172-a08-conserving-water/quiz_html5.html
[4] http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/whakauka_3.mp3?uuid=597f13
b8123f3
[5] http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/whakahaere_11.mp3?uuid=597
f13b812505
[6]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/taiao_8.mp3?uuid=597f13b81260d
[7]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/hiringa.mp3?uuid=597f13b812712
[8]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/tiaki_2.mp3?uuid=597f13b812816
[9] http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/rauemi_0.mp3?uuid=597f13b8
12920
[10]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/b-wp172-01-conserving-water.jpg
[11] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Dschwen
[12]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/b-wp172-02-conserving-water.jpg
Page 8 of 9
Conserving Water
Published on LEARNZ (http://www.learnz.org.nz)
[13]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/b-wp172-03-conserving-water.jpg
[14]
http://www.learnz.org.nz/sites/learnz.org.nz/files/b-wp172-04-conserving-water.jpg
[15] http://www.mfe.govt.nz/fresh-water/tools-and-guidelines/water-efficiency-labelli
ng-scheme
Page 9 of 9