1. Water Your Lawn and Garden in the Early Morning
A key strategy to reduce water consumption at home is to irrigate your lawn and garden in the early morning hours. You save water at home in the summer by watering in the early morning when water is absorbed more deeply by the soil and doesn’t evaporate quickly in the heat of the day. You might think the savings of water lost to evaporation doesn’t matter much. But when you save that amount of water all summer long, watering in the early morning is a positive step towards saving water at your residence.
In order to make early morning watering more efficient, there are solid and affordable electronic timers on the market. You can set the timer for an appropriate watering time and let technology do the rest.
2. Install a Rain Barrel
Another tactic you can use to save water at home in the summer is to install a rain barrel. The installation can be something as simple as placing a barrel at the end of a down or water spout. Rainwater collected in the barrel can be used for such things as irrigating a garden and other landscaping.
Some homeowners install a more complex rainwater collecting system that pulls the water indoors for toilet flushing, laundry, and showering, though this requires extra plumbing in your home.
3. Use a Carwash
On average, washing your car at home uses approximately 100 gallons of fresh water. On the other hand, having your automobile washed at a car wash uses about 40 gallons of water and saves you a considerable amount of time.
4. Shower Strategically and Save Water at Home in the Summer
Finally, you can save water at home in the summer by being more strategic about the way you shower. Even if you just knock two minutes off your shower time, you will save about 1,750 gallons of water per person each year. A simple trick is to turn off the shower water altogether as you soap up or shave. Replacing your showerhead with a low flow showerhead is another affordable way to improve your water efficiency.
Combining all four of these techniques can result in a notable reduction in water usage. Your efforts to save water in these ways will save money on your water bill and positively impact the environment.
Outlook Home Inspections serves Greater Charlotte and Upstate South Carolina with home inspection services including water testing. Contact us to schedule an appointment for our services.