Tools

The following water-saving actions are simply a starting point to reduce residential water consumption and turn your digs into a conservation powerhouse. If being a good steward of the environment isn’t motive enough, certainly the monetary savings should be.

LIFESTYLE ADJUSTMENTS
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an American household could save $170 per year just by making a small effort to use water more efficiently. These might be “inconvenient,” but they’re free measures to take toward eliminating wasteful water habits and reducing your utility bill.

Don’t use the toilet as a trash can
Toilets are the No. 1 water-users in the home, accounting for 30 percent of the average American home’s daily water consumption. So every time you throw debris – like nail clippings or cigarette butts – in the bowl instead of a bin, you unnecessarily flush away an extra 3 to 5 gallons. Savings: 3 to 5 gallons.

Shorten shower time
The average American spends eight minutes in the shower, using about 50 gallons of water. Whether you cut down on overall time or take it a step further by turning the water off between rinses, you could save hundreds of gallons each month. Fewer – and shallower – soaks in the bathtub will also save gallons. Savings: 18 gallons for each five-minute shower.

Turn off the faucet
Personal hygiene routines cost gallons of water, but there’s no need to keep the faucet running while lathering soap, brushing teeth or shaving. Turn it off between rinses, dampen a cloth to wipe away cleansers, set aside a glass of water for mouth rinsing, and fill the sink with a bit of warm water just for cleaning your razor. Savings: 240 gallons per month.

Be conscious in the kitchen
When able, prepare food with consideration to reducing dishwashing, and composting scraps of food instead of using the disposal. If you must hand wash, don’t let the faucet run. Fill one sink basin half-way with soapy water and rinse off in the other. The same applies when rinsing fresh produce. Savings: Varies.

Stop power hosing
It might take more time and elbow grease, but you’ll save gallons upon gallons by sweeping the deck, porch, driveway and sidewalks with a broom instead of water. Savings: 13 gallons per minute.

Learn efficient lawn care
Leave sprinklers on the lawn long enough for water to penetrate deep into the roots. You won’t have to water as frequently and roots remain protected from drought. Schedule waterings for early morning (unless it’s windy). This cuts down on mid-day evaporation and prevents the growth of fungus. Savings: 25 gallons per day cut from your watering schedule.

Wash wisely
Common sense says to wait until you can fill the washing machine (the No. 2 water-user in the home) before doing a load. The same applies to your dishwasher. The permanent press setting, which uses five gallons more water per cycle, and the pre-rinse dishwasher function, are other culprits. Savings: Up to 20 gallons/washing machine; 3 gallons/dishwasher.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS
You’ll have to intensify your efforts on the homefront to reap more conservation kickbacks. These measures may cost a few bucks to implement, but you’ll ultimately come out ahead.

Switch to low-flow aerators and showerheads
Estimated time: 5 minutes per swap
Estimated cost: $10 to $60
Standard faucets yield about 3 gallons of water per minute, but a low-flow aerator reduces the flow to less than 1 ½ gallons per minute, saving you up to 500 gallons of water annually. As for showerheads, the EPA estimates about 2,300 gallons of water savings per year.

Insulate pipes
Estimated time: A couple of hours
Estimated cost: $4 per four-pack of 3-foot pre-slit foam insulation
Inexpensive pre-slit foam insulation is all you need to insulate your water pipes. It’ll take less time to get hot water flowing, so you won’t have to run the faucet as long to heat it up.

Fix leaky pipes
Estimated time: A couple of hours
Estimated cost: Depends on the leak
Twice a year, check all indoor and outdoor pipes. Even a small, slow-dripping leak can waste 20 gallons of water in just one day – or 6,000 gallons in a year. It’s free to check, but fixing any problems could be as easy as applying hose washers or as serious as requiring a plumber.

Test for toilet leaks, too
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Estimated cost: Free, unless there’s a leak
A leaky toilet can waste more than 50 gallons of water every day. Test it by dropping food coloring into the tank. Wait for 15 minutes. If the color appears in the toilet bowl without flushing, you’ve got a leak.

Trick your tank
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Estimated cost: Free, if supplies are handy
If you don’t have a low-flow toilet, try this: fill a plastic bottle (removing any labels) half-way with sand or gravel. The bottle will displace water within the tank and ultimately reduce the amount of water used when flushed.

Mulch around trees and plants
Estimated time: One hour
Estimated cost: $15 per 20-pound bag
Mulching slows the evaporation of moisture, minimizes water runoff and can eliminate 40 percent of a landscape’s water demand. Add a few inches of organic mulch around the drip line of each plant for maximum water retention.

Drain sediment from your water heater
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Estimated cost: Free
This should become an annual ritual. You know it’s time when the heater makes a burping noise. Sediment like sand, minerals and other non-soluble matter can accumulate at the bottom of the tank and begin to hinder performance. This could cause a leak or worse – a costly deluge of hundreds of gallons of water into your living areas.

Replace washing machine hoses
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Estimated cost: $20
If your washing machine hose busts, your home will succumb to uninsured water damage caused by hundreds of gallons of water. That’s why it’s imperative to check the hose regularly. Look for cracks, leaks or rust. Find any, and it’s time for a new one. It’s also wise to check water heater, dishwasher and ice maker hoses, too.

RETROFITTINGS & ADDITIONS
These overhauls are more demanding and, initially, costly. Over a long period of time, however, they will put more money in your pocket instead of down the drain.

Reclaim greywater
Estimated cost: Varies based on system installed
Estimated savings: Up to 35 percent off your monthly water bill
The average American household produces more than 70 gallons of greywater each day – or 29,000 gallons annually – just in the bathroom and laundry room alone. But greywater collection systems can collect this excess and more household water before it’s swept away into a septic tank or sewer. “When filtered and treated, greywater is safe to use in certain capacities,” said Mike Bower, owner of Pure Water, an industrial and residential water processing and filtration company based in North Little Rock.

Depending on whether it’s been lightly or heavily filtered, it can be reclaimed for shower water, washing clothes, flushing toilets, washing dishes, watering gardens and irrigation – but “it’s not recommended for human consumption,” Bower said. The type of system needed is determined by household, lifestyle, budget and architectural specs (such as roof square footage). However, the EPA estimates the average system could save an average household up to 35 percent on monthly water bills.

Plant drought-resistant landscaping (xeriscaping)
Estimated cost: Varies
Estimated savings: Up to $500 annually
Keith Wingfield, who builds green homes in the Little Rock area, also uses these landscaping methods.
“Our landscapes feature a number of drought-tolerant measures, including the use of a very drought-resistant grass called Buffalo Grass. [It] can take the most extremes of drought and still regenerate as moisture returns.” Planting special grass, native plants, perennials and other drought-tolerant elements will save you buckets full of water, but revamping your landscape also reduces the need for professional landscapers and weekly mowing. In fact, you could mow 75 percent less often.

Harvest rainwater
Estimated cost: Varies dramatically by house
Estimated savings: Up to 55 percent off your water bill
With one of Pure Water’s systems, 1 inch of rainfall over a 1,000-square-foot area will accumulate 620 gallons for storage. “We estimate more than half of the water we use each day can be replaced with rainwater, without any inconvenience,” Bower said. Through various filtration fixtures, collected rainwater will stand in for your watering needs. This includes flushing toilets, washing clothes, cleaning, watering the garden and irrigation. “This can potentially save 60,000 gallons of water on an annual basis for a family of four using 300 gallons of water per day.” How much you harvest and how you use your rainwater depends on the amount of usable roof space you have and the size of the above-ground or in-ground tank you choose (500 to 10,000 gallon capacities available). Homeowners can even find aesthetically pleasing tanks to blend into the landscape.

Upgrade to a low-flow or dual-flush toilet
Estimated cost: $200 or more
Estimated savings: $90 annually
“Low-flow and dual-flush toilets significantly reduce the amount of water a family uses each day,” said Keith Wingfield, owner of River Rock Builders. Standard toilets use an average of 20 gallons of water, per person, per day in a typical American household, according to the American Water Works Association. These flush three to five gallons away with each use, but a new low-flow toilet needs only 1.6 gallons or less to get the job done. Wingfield, who is a Certified Green Professional and LEED Accredited Professional and served as the president of the Greater Little Rock Home Builders Association in 2010, said some low-flow and dual-flush toilets do even better than 1.6 gallons. Today, eco-toilets are available that use as little as 0.6 gallons per flush. This could save an average family $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet, according to the Federal Energy Management Program. “Of course, the savings will vary,” he said, “but given the cost of potable water and the life cycle of the home, the investment in these toilets more than pays for itself.”

Install drip irrigation
Estimated cost: Pre-packaged kits start at $15; self-installed systems cost about $100-$400; professional design and installation cost up to $3,000
Estimated savings: Up to $100 annually
Wingfield also recommends drip irrigation, which minimizes water usage by delivering the water directly to the intended plant or shrub. Drip irrigation requires up to 50 percent less water than sprinklers. “Why water a large area of mulch when you only need it at the plant?” Try soaker hoses if you need a cheaper solution.

Buy a new washing machine
Estimated cost: $300 and up
Estimated SAVINGS: $135 annually
It’s estimated that American families do 400 loads of laundry per year (and not all full loads either). If you were using an Energy Star-rated washer for every one of those loads, you’d save $135 annually.

In addition to quoted sources, this report contains statistics gathered courtesy of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and American Water Works Association.