Although rains in Silicon Valley have helped dispel drought conditions for now, we here in California know it's only a matter of time before drought concerns return. Most of us who've lived here a while know that the effort to conserve water has to be standard procedure for all homeowners and businesses.
Fortunately, there are many, many simple things you can do to save water. Here are just a few of them.
Tips to Conserve Water
Kitchen
- Wash dishes in your efficient dishwasher. If you must wash dishes by hand, do so in a pan, without running the water continuously.
- Cut back on rinse times in the dishwasher.
- Use cooking water, such as water to boil eggs, to water plants (wait until it's cooled!); use leftover vegetable water on compost piles or to make soup.
- Cut back on garbage disposal use so you don't have to run the water so often.
- Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator rather than by running water on it.
- Cook in the smallest pot possible to accommodate the food so that you use less water.
Bathroom
- Take shorter showers. Five minutes or less will save 1000 gallons a month.
- Install low-flow showerheads.
- Install a low-flow toilet. These newer low-flow toilets work much better to eliminate waste with less water than the first models that were sold on the market.
- Fix toilet leaks or loose flappers as soon as you notice them. In fact, fix all leaks as soon as possible.
Laundry Room
- Wash only full loads of laundry.
- Use only enough water to do the laundry load.
- Have used wash water routed to your yard.
Yard
- Avoid watering at the hottest times of the day.
- Use soaker hoses rather than sprinklers to avoid evaporation.
- Mulch plants so they need less water.
- Plant drought-tolerant plants.
- Weed regularly, so the weeds aren't competing for water with your landscaping.
- Apply minimal fertilizer, as it can increase the plants' need for water.
Visit us at Valley Heating and Air for in-depth information on most HVAC topics, including how to conserve water, or just give us a call at (408) 868-5500.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).