why be watersmart?

In most homes, washing clothes and flushing toilets consume the most water. If you use your clothes washer more than twice a week, then washing clothes is probably your largest indoor water-use activity—unless you have older (pre-1994) inefficient toilets.

Fixtures
If your home was built before 1994, chances are that your faucets, showerheads, and toilets are not low-flow. Retrofitting your fixtures to low flow could save, on average the following:

Appliances

Clothes Washers
An old top loading washing machine can use up to 40 to 45 gallons to wash an extra-large load. A new front loading washing machine can use as little as 15 gallons or less for a full load. The most efficient models may cost more initially, but most families can save enough water and energy in two years to pay for the entire cost of the washer!

Dishwashers
A new water efficient dish washer can use less than 5 gallons per load on the normal wash setting, while older models can use up to 15 gallons per load. By comparison, a study conducted by Ohio State University showed that 16 gallons of water are used to hand-wash eight place settings and serving pieces (Buzzelli, 1991, p.57).

Recirculating Hot Water Pump
After your water faucet has been turned off, water remains stationary in the pipes and cools. Water that cools overnight becomes a cold shower in the morning, when your water tap first has to “run off” the cooled water before warming up. Those gallons-often 2-3 per shower-are lost down the drain, becoming wasted water. In an average house hold a recirculating pump can save up to 16,000 gallons per year per household.

Cistern
A cistern can capture rain water from your roof that can be used for irrigation of your landscaping. A 1/4 inch of rain on a 1000 square foot roof can capture up to 150 gallons of fresh, clean usable water. Cisterns and water catchment systems range in size and design. A visit to your home by a licensed contractor can allow for a water catchment system to be designed that works with your style of home and irrigation needs.

Grey Water System
Grey water is any waste water used in the home. Toilet –flush water, solids-laden kitchen sink water or water used to launder diapers is called “dark grey” water or “black” water and can not be safely re-used in a residential setting. Wastewater without added solids, such as warm-up water from the hot water faucet, is called “clearwater”. A grey water system using “clearwater” can be used for irrigation. This type of system  is specialized to the residence and must be carefully designed by a licensed contractor.