Saving Water in the Hot California Sun   

In 2016, it was reported that Californians used 85 gallons of water per person per day.  

Every day!  

For a household of 4 people, that’s almost 350 gallons of water used each day! Nearly 2500 gallons per week. Over 10,000 per month. When you see these numbers, it makes you think about it. And, California is actually on the low end of the national average, even though this looks like a lot of water. We have lived for decades with the concept of water conservation, so it’s no surprise that we are able to reduce our water use. But are there more things we could be doing than just turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth or not watering our lawn?  As stewards of the environment, we need to consider our impact beyond recycling and environmental initiatives. California can do better in terms of water conservation, and it starts at home. 

https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3611   

Inspect Plumbing to Find Hidden Leaks 

You wouldn’t think that plumbing would be an ever-evolving industry, but it has changed multiple times. Depending on when your home was built, there could be a variety of materials used for your pipes. If they haven’t been inspected for a while, it may be time to have a look behind the walls to make sure you’re not losing water with hidden leaks.   

To do this, hire a professional. They’ll be able to replace anything that needs to be fixed. The most common materials today are copper and pex and the plumbing community is divided over which is better.   

Reuse Household Water 

Sometimes, you have to run water. Even if you turn off the faucet when working in the kitchen or bathroom, you may have occasion when the water needs to run to warm up for washing.   

Have you considered collecting and reusing this water? If you’re using biodegradable and environmentally friendly soaps, you can reuse your dish or bath water for your garden or lawn. That will help you reduce your environmental footprint by small increments that can make big impacts.  

Replace Your Fixtures and Appliances  

For bigger scale changes, consider replacing old appliances and fixtures throughout your home. There are high efficiency washing machines and dish washers that will use much less waters that their predecessors.  

This is something you can do for your fixtures too, such as your showerhead and toilet. Some of these fixes you can do yourself. Replacing a showerhead is easy as 1,2,3. And you can replace your own toilet, but if you’re adverse a professional will be happy to install it.  

Spend Less Time In the Shower 

We don’t want to sound patronizing, but this is something we can all to do help out. Your shower is the best time to do your thinking, but that doesn’t mean you should lose track of time. If you want, take ten minutes before your shower to go for a walk and get your thinking done that way. If it’s a hot California summer day, you can take a quick shower to cool off.   

It’s currently estimated that an average shower uses 2.5 gallons of water per minute. That consumes 20 gallons of water for an average shower. If you reduce your shower time by 3 minutes it can make a big impact.  

Install a Rain Barrel  

There are some states that have made rain collection illegal, but California is not one of those states. You can collect rain water in your own property to use for your garden or lawn. The best part is rain water is 100% free. Go ahead and take advantage of this trend to conserve and use water in an environmentally friendly way.  

 Talk with Zachery Adam of GoPrime inCalifornia today.