Whether it’s winter, summer, or somewhere in between, there are plenty of reasons to reduce your water consumption. As well as averting a water crisis and saving money, if we all do our bit to save water, we could help to save the planet, too. Previously, we looked at how you can save thousands of litres (and hundreds of pounds!) on your water bills. This time, we're in the kitchen.
There are few things more refreshing than a nice, cool glass of water. However, the kitchen cold tap flows at around 20 litres per minute. So, assuming that it takes around 15 seconds for the water to get really cold and you do this minimum of 8 times a day, you are wasting 14,600 litres of water a year – just because it’s not cold enough! Save enough water to fill a small swimming pool by keeping a jug of cold water in the fridge. Likewise, instead of rinsing food such as rice, vegetables and fruit under running water, place the food in a colander or sieve over a pan to collect the water. Continue to rinse the food using the water you have collected in the pan.
If you have a leaky or dripping tap in your kitchen, it could be costing you up to four litres a day – that’s 1,460 litres a year! Contact a plumber to investigate the leak and get it fixed.
Does your hot tap take ages to get going? A kitchen hot tap can produce 12 litres of water a minute; if it takes a full minute to get to temperature, that is your heard-earned cash you are pouring down the sink every time you wash up. Instead of discarding the cold or luke-warm water, collect it in the kettle for hot drinks later, or fill a bucket and use the water in the garden, or for washing floors and windows.
At Trust A Trader, we are all in favour of making life as easy as possible with labour-saving devices and simple tips. However, if you can possibly avoid it, don’t run your dishwasher or washing machine until they are full. If you have just a couple of items that need to be washed, do it by hand to save water and money!
Do your water bills seem unreasonably high? There could be an undetected leak somewhere in, or around, your property. Get in touch with a local plumber, who will be able to help identify and fix any potential issues, saving you money in the long term.
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