Reduce Your Hot Water Use
Earth Day is April 22. One way to celebrate Earth day is to produce less waste Reducing the amount of hot water you use can save substantial amounts of both energy and water. You can cut back with little cost and your family probably won’t even notice. Some steps:
- Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators. These devices reduce the number of gallons of water that flow from your faucets each minute.
- Take showers instead of baths. Showering under a low-flow showerhead uses just one-third the hot water of running a bath.
- Use the lowest temperature for laundry. An average load of laundry uses about 32 gallons of water. Washing clothes in cold water instead of hot will save the energy to heat that water.
- Wait until clothes washers and dishwashers are full before operating them. And choose “light wash” on the dishwasher for routine cleaning.
- Repair leaky pipes and faucets. A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year.
- Turn the hot water off while shaving or washing your face; no need to pour energy and unused water down the drain!