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Water Conservation Tips

The U.S. Department of Energy created a virtual Energy Efficient house tour that shows you the different ways you can save energy and money throughout your home (inside and out), including some water savings tips. We also recommend that you check your monthly bills to track water usage.

Tips

  • Sweep driveways, sidewalks, and steps rather than hosing them off.  
  • Wash your car with water from a bucket or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.  Even though it might cost more than washing your car at home, taking your car to a car wash saves water and prevents toxic chemicals from being flushed down your storm drains that eventually empty into our lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans. Professional car washes are legally required to drain into sewer systems so that the water can be treated before being re-used.  
  • Use a rain barrel to collect rainwater. Installing a rain barrel will not only save you money but can also be used for watering your lawn or washing your car.
  • When using a water hose, control the flow with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
  • Replace portions of grass in your lawn with plants indigenous to your region. Native plants use 4 times less water per year than grass lawns.  This can reduce outdoor water consumption by 50% to 85%. Check out these native plant tips from the NC Native Plant Society. 

  • Inspect and repair all faulty and defective parts of faucets and toilets. Fixing a leak can save approximately 500 gallons of water each month. (link to our video on how to find a leaky toilet)
  • Give fishy water and unsalted pasta water to plants. When cleaning out fish tanks or cooking pasta without salt, give the nutrient-rich water to your plants instead of down the drain.
  • Shorten your showers, as every minute saves approximately 2.1 gallons of water. Use a timer to help.
  • Replace old toilets with more efficient low- flow toilets and save as much as five gallons per flush.  
  • Use the garbage disposal sparingly.  People use an average of 2 to 5 gallons of water every time they run a garbage disposal. Compost instead.
  • Save around 1,000 gallons a month by running your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full.
  • Instead of using water to defrost frozen foods, thaw them in the refrigerator during the recommended timeframe of each food product.
  • Take short showers instead of baths and turn off water flow while soaping or shampooing.
  • While brushing your teeth or shaving, conserve water by not letting the faucet run continuously.
  • Reuse water when you can. A bucket in the shower can catch water for plants and clean-up jobs.
  • Install a flow restrictor to your showerhead to save hot water. Flow restrictors limit the flow to 3 gallons or less per minute.
  • Check your water heater for leaks and if there are none, be sure to insulate it during colder months if not already insulated. 

During the winter, we encourage you to protect your water pipes from freezing cold temperatures to prevent pipes from bursting, which can waste water and drive up your utility bill.

  • Insulate pipes in unheated parts of the home (like crawl spaces and under cabinets).
  • Open doors on cabinets below sinks to allow warmer room air to circulate around the plumbing.
  • Disconnect water hoses from outdoor spigots.
  • Protect your lawn sprinkler systems. Irrigation line breaks and sprinklers spraying onto sidewalks and roadways will quickly lead to serious public safety hazards and expensive repairs.
  • Locate the master water shut-off valve in your home now in case you experience a burst pipe and need to cut your water off in a hurry.
  • Once temperatures rise and pipes begin to thaw, frozen pipes that burst will begin to gush water and need to be repaired immediately. Take a few minutes to stop, look, and listen.
  • Stop what you’re doing in your home and listen for the sound of running water. You can usually hear water running through pipes. Check to make sure faucets, washers, dishwashers, and toilets are not running. If those are all off and you still hear water running in the pipes, you may have a broken pipe.
  • Look at where your pipes are: in crawl spaces, outside spigots, and possibly in your yard. Look for signs of water running when it’s not supposed to. If you see a problem, call a plumber.
  • If you don’t see any problems but hear water running and know all faucets and washers are shut off, then look at the water meter outside. If the dial is spinning, then water is running in (and out) of your system. Call a plumber immediately.