What can I do to make a difference?

Conserving water and energy doesn’t have to be a difficult process. You can begin living a “greener” lifestyle by just making a few small changes here and there. Every drop of water and every bit of energy you save helps the environment and saves you money.water heating costs by lowering your water heater’s temperature.

Lower your water heater's thermostat to 120 degrees. Every 10 degrees Fahrenheit that you lower your water heater can save you between 3-5% in energy costs! Lowering your water heater temperature also slows down the mineral buildup and corrosion of your water heater and pipes; it helps them last longer!

Tip: When you’re away from home for more than 3 days, turn your water heater off!

Insulating your water heater can reduce the amount of heat it’s losing by 25-45%. That results in a 4-9% savings in your water heating costs! It will raise the temperature of the water 2-4%, and it will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat it. You’ll be getting hotter water faster!

Tip:

Use a drip irrigation system rather than in-ground sprinklers. The typical home uses about 30% of their water for outdoors usage, and experts estimate that 50% of that goes to waste due to evaporation and run off. A drip irrigation system would reduce water consumption between 20-50%, and it’s estimated to save a homeowner $1,150 over the lifetime of the system!

Tip: Use your washing machine wisely!

If you don’t want to purchase a high-efficiency washing machine, which could save you more than 12 gallons of water per load, be sure to only run your current washing machine when it’s full!

Your dishwasher uses 1/3 less water. But if you insist upon washing them first, only use cold water (to conserve energy). And use a sink stopper or dishpan when washing them. There’s no need to constantly use fresh water when you’re going to put the dishes in the dishwasher later.

Tip: Turn off the tap while you’re brushing your teeth.

The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. If you shut off the water when brushing, you can conserve around 240 gallons a month!

Tip: Instead of taking a bath, take a shower.

A full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of water. A five-minute shower only uses between 10-25 gallons!

Tip: Keep your showers on the short side!

Shorter showers mean your home is consuming less energy (gas or electricity) to produce hot water. It also means that water treatment plants don’t need to generate as much clean water for you to use. In total, you could prevent 350 lbs of harmful Carbon Dioxide being released into the environment and reduce your energy bills by $100-150 per person, per year.