Energy Saver News; WattBusters - H2-Oh Look At That Water Bill

I'm a city guy. City traffic, city sidewalks and city water. The water bill arrives every three months just like clockwork. I don't think about water very much because I've always lived around the Great Lakes where there seems to be an abundance of it. My 'eye-opener' came last year when a faucet downstairs at the laundry tub developed a small drip, which turned into a regular leak and then a torrential downpour. What happens when you put off a simple repair? A $250 dollar water bill. That was enough to motivate me into finally fixing the leak and doing a little research into water.

Earth is the only planet in our solar system whose surface has liquid water. Water covers 71% of Earth's surface (97% of it being sea water and 3% fresh water). Two percent of the Earth's water (about 66% of all fresh water) is in solid form, found in ice caps and glaciers. Because it is frozen and so far away, the fresh water in ice caps is not available for use by people or plants. That leaves about 1% of all the Earth's water in a form useable to humans and land animals. This fresh water is found in lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, and in the ground. A small amount of water is found as vapor in the atmosphere.

The amount of water on Earth is fixed. We have the same amount of water on Earth as we did when time began. The main difference now is that demand for water continues to grow. Rising population and new housing trends put more people into areas that can become stressed for lack of sufficient, clean water. This dictates that we must be good stewards of the water resources we have available.

Drum roll.....

The first thing we can do to conserve H2O is to check for apparent leaks. Faucets are easy. If the knob is off and water is coming out, there's a leak. Fix it or pay up. There is a handy Drip Calculator from the American Water Works Association that you can use to calculate how much water is leaking at:

http://www.awwa.org/advocacy/learn/conserve/dripcalc.cfm

Toilets are next. 30-50% of water usage in a home is from the toilet. Approximately 20% of toilets leak. That can get expensive, fast! Some leaks can be heard by the sound of running water but some leaks are silent and often go undetected. To discover a silent leak, put dye tablets or food coloring in the tank. Do not flush. If, after a half hour, colored water appears in the bowl, you have a leak. (Flush to rinse the dye from bowl when you're done so you don't stain the bowl.)

Another easy detection test is to note the water level in the tank after flushing by making a pencil mark at the water line. After a few minutes, check the level. If it has dropped, you have a leak.

Don't use your toilet as a wastebasket for bugs or cigarettes or what not. That can cost you around 5 GPB (Gallons per Bug?, Gallons per Butt?).

*** Public Service Announcement to the guys: If you keep the seat down, not only will you make your wife happy at night but there's less likelihood of you having to fish for combs, brushes, deodorant, wedding rings, etc., that find their way into the abyss. This isn't a water-saving tip but it might help your marriage.

An easy way to save on each flush is through the use of a water displacement device. That's a fancy name for a something like a plastic milk jug that takes up room in the toilet tank. You want to avoid using a brick as it can break down and gum up the workings of the toilet. If you choose, there are commercially available displacement bags that resist microbes and fungal growth. Keep in mind that if you displace too much water to the point that a second flushing is required, you've defeated the purpose.

If you're building a new home or are replacing an existing toilet, consider buying a new 'Low Water Use' toilets. They're designed to save you water.

Showerheads can give you a double return on your investment with water conservation and water heating savings. Even a modest 10-minute shower can use up to 50 gallons of hot water with a conventional showerhead. A low-flow showerhead can reduce this by half or even more, without sacrificing the "feel" of the shower. There are a wide variety of low-flow showerheads available, including massage, hand-held and designer models.

The use of low-cost, low-flow aerators on your faucets is a no-brainer and will save lots of water. They come in ultra low-flow models of .5 GPM to 1.5 GPM which would be best for the bathroom where you wash your hands and face, brush your teeth and shave. Special swivel 2+ GPM models are available for kitchen use where you would probably want more flow to fill the sink and rinse off dishes.

Even if you have your own well, you'll save on water heating by using showerheads and aerators.

You don't have to despair about high water bills. Check for leaks, use common sense to trim down water use with toilets, faucets and showers and enjoy your Aitch-Too-Whoa!

How Much Water Do We Use?

Below are the statistics on water usage from the Newport, N.H. Water Department.

Water used for one year in an average residence is approximately 90,000 gallons.

Washing hands and face	3 gallons
Brushing teeth	2 gallons
Shaving	8 gallons
Toilet (average per flush)	5 gallons
Shower (10 minutes)	50 gallons
Shower (15 minutes)	75 gallons
Bath	40 gallons

Drinking water (per person per day)	0.6 gallons
Water for cooking (per person per day)	1 gallon
Washing dishes by hand	20 gallons
Automatic dishwasher (per load)	15-20 gallons
Washing machine (per load)	40 gallons
Water garden (5 minutes)	30 gallons
Hose down driveway (10 minutes)	60 gallons

Lawn sprinkler (30 minutes)	180 gallons
Wash car	100 gallons
Fill child's swimming pool	100 gallons
Fill above-ground pool	13,000 gallons
Fill built-in pool	22,000 gallons
Toilet Leak (per day 1 gallon per minute)	1,440 gallons
One 1/16" leak	70,000 gallons per billing period