Conserving water not only preserves it as a resource in and of itself; it also helps reduce our energy consumption. That’s because it takes a lot of energy to not only deliver but also treat the water that comes to you. To give you an idea of just how much energy our water use consumes, consider that letting a faucet run for 5 minutes is like leaving a 60-watt light bulb on for 14 hours. Add on to that the energy our hot-water heater uses for providing hot showers, clothes and dishwashing loads, and you can see how effective conserving water can be.
Half of the water we consume in our homes is through toilets and showers, so let’s start there. Older toilets and shower heads often use more water than newer models. Definitely consider an upgrade if your toilet was made before 1993, or if your shower head was made before 1978. Try to take shorter showers when you can. When brushing your teeth, don’t let the faucet run. And when washing clothes and dishes, rinse in cold water and only run full loads.