5 Ways to Save Water and Energy, Without Even Noticing

This summer, in the Northeast, we've been inundated with rain - so much so, that any talk of water shortages seems safely distant if not altogether fantastical.  But meanwhile, areas of the Midwest are suffering from bona fide drought, as is the Southwest, and the UK, and Australia, and parts of Africa, and on, and on.

 

The ugly truth is: we're running out of water. Big time.

 

The other ugly truth is, heating water is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the home (13% of total energy consumption - second place after space heating and cooling).  Heating water also costs the average homeowner between $400 and $600 annually. Cut back on your hot water consumption, and you'll be doing a big favor to yourself and to humanity.

 

So if you're looking for ways to conserve water, here's our top 5 list of ways to save water and energy, too:

1) Install a low-flow showerhead. Replacing your water-chugging shower head with a low flow model could save your family around 200 bucks a year.  That's a quick payback.  And you'll save between 7,000-8,000 gallons of water in the process. Not shabby at all.

2) Insulate your water heater. A water heater blanket will cut back on what's called "standby heat losses" - the heat that your water heater is just sending out into the basement year round, while you're not even running the water - by 25-45%.  That translates, believe it, to saving 4-9% on your water heating bill ($16 - $54 annually, back of the envelope).

 

3) Insulate your pipes. Adding pipe insulation your hot water pipes (just the first 3 feet around the water heater should do the trick) will raise the temperature of your water by 2-4 degrees.  That means you can lower the thermostat on your water heater by the same amount without affecting the temperature of your water a bit.  Add that onto the savings you'll get from insulating your water heater, and you're looking at about a 10% savings on your water heating bill - between 40 and 60 bucks a year, saved. In your pocket. Just bear in mind, pipe insulation is available in 1/2" or 3/4", so make sure you get the right size for your pipes.

4) Throw some aerators on your faucets. Installing a low flow aerator just on your bathroom faucets could save up to 2,500 gallons of water annually.  Assuming that just half that is hot water, you're looking at savings of at least $25 per year.  That's a 7x return on investment in the first year, and continued water, energy, and money savings... forever.

5) Cut back on the cheeseburgers. Do you realize how much water it takes to grow a hamburger? About 1,300 gallons.  That's crazy. Really. And we won't even get into the calories...