• Replace your showerhead. Showerheads installed after 1992 use 9.5 litres of water per minute (L/min) (2.5 gallons of water per minute) (gpm), while older showerheads can use double that. Every 10-minute shower — even when equipped with a 9.5L/min (2.5 gpm) model — uses 95 litres of water (25 gallons). Today’s low-flow showerheads use between 5.6 and 6.6 L/min (1.5 and 1.75 gpm) of water – a savings of 40 percent over the 9.5 L/min (2.5 gpm) models, or 3.6 litres for every minute you are in the shower. Those savings easily add up in households that have multiple showers a day. Be careful, though: Almost every 9.5 L/min (2.5 gpm) shower still advertises itself as “low-flow.” This misnomer must be carefully examined when you are shopping for new showerheads – make sure the packaging states 5.6 and 6.6 l/min (1.5 or 1.75 gpm) water flow.
• Replace your toilet. Older toilets use 13 litres per flush (lpf). Fortunately, there are other alternatives, including dual-flush toilets, which feature two flush options: one for liquid waste and one for solid waste. Thus, when less water is needed, you can use the lower-flush option. Dual-flush toilets typically use 3 lpf (0.8 gpf) for liquid waste and the standard 6 lpf (1.6 gpf) for solid waste, although the most efficient versions use 4.3 lpf (1.28 gpf) for solid waste. These toilets average 3.3 lpf (one gpf) in water use throughout the course of the day – a savings of 37%. If you are switching from an older toilet that uses 13 lpf (3.5 gpf) – your savings is 72%. Now we’re getting somewhere.
• Replace your faucets. If you have a leaky faucet, your best bet would be to replace it with a new WaterSense-labeled model with a maximum flow rate of 5.6 L/min (1.5 gpm), or a savings of 30% over conventional faucets. If you currently have an older model, your savings will likely be even greater.
• Switch to a front-loading clothes washer. According to the Department of Natural Resources Canada, the average family does nearly 400 loads of laundry annually. That’s a lot of washing.
• By switching to an Energy Star-rated, front-loading washer, you can cut water use in half, while saving over 30% on your energy bill.
• Use your dishwasher (and make sure its Energy Star labeled), instead of hand washing your dishes. Using your dishwasher can use 30% less water over washing dishes by hand, and it will save you time, too. But make sure to use an Energy Star-rated dishwasher, which will use 40% less water than a standard dishwasher, while saving energy in the process. The cost is virtually the same. So if it is time to upgrade your dishwasher, make sure you are looking for the Energy Star label.
• You’ve heard it a million times, but I’ll say it again: Stop running water when you’re not using it. Turn off the faucet when brushing teeth. Don’t turn on the shower until you’re ready to get in. Don’t run the water while soaping up your hands. These are just a few examples I see day in and day out. It doesn’t matter how efficient your fixtures are, if you’re running water when you aren’t using it, it’s a complete waste, and turning off the water in these and other situations is a free fix. You don’t have to pay anything to be smarter with your own water use.
More information on water saving products can be found online at www.americanstandard.ca.
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