Energy Efficiency: Water

Water conservation is the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce our demand for water. Saving water also saves energy. As for your personal energy bill, using less hot water saves on water heating.

In the kitchen:

When washing dishes by hand, use as little water as possible. Use only the required amount of dish soap and put the dishes in a rack to rinse them all together and reduce rinse water. Be sure to use short bursts instead of letting the water run when rinsing. When you do use the dishwasher, use appropriate water, energy efficient settings and only run full loads.
Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking.
Don't defrost frozen foods with running water. Either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave.
Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a filled sink or pan.
Use the garbage disposal less and the garbage more (even better--compost!).
In the laundry room, be sure to match the water level with your load size. If your washing machine doesn't allow manual water level adjustment, wait until you have a full load before you run your machine.

In the bathroom:

Put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank. Displacing water in this manner allows you to use less water with each flush. Saves 5 to 10 gallons a day. That's up to 300 gallons a month, even more for large families. Better yet, for even greater savings, replace your water-guzzling five to seven gallon a flush toilet with a one and a half gallon, ultra-low flush model.
Capture shower/bath water while waiting for water to change temperatures: This excess water can be used for watering plants. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
Check toilet for leaks. Put dye tablets or food coloring into the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, there's a leak that should be repaired. Saves 400 gallons a month.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Saves three gallons each day.
Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.

Outdoors:

Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Chunks of bark, peat moss or gravel slows down evaporation.
Don't drown your lawn! Most of the year, lawns only need one inch of water per week. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every five to seven days in the summer and every 10 to 14 days in the winter. A hearty rain eliminates the need for watering for up to two weeks. Buy a rain gauge and use it to determine how much rain your yard has received.
Consider dripping. Install irrigation devices that are the most water efficient for each use. Micro and drip irrigation and soaker hoses are examples of water efficient irrigation methods.
Consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water. If you wash your own car, park on the grass and use a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
If you have a pool, use a pool cover to cut down on evaporation. It will also keep your pool cleaner and reduce the need to add chemicals.
Raise the blade! Adjust the lawn mower blade to at least three inches or to its highest level. A higher cut encourages grass roots to grow deeper, shades the root system and holds soil moisture better than a closely-clipped lawn.
Use a shut-off nozzle on your hose that can be adjusted down to a fine spray so that water flows only as needed. When finished, turn it off at the faucet instead of at the nozzle to avoid leaks. Check hose connectors to make sure plastic or rubber washers are in place. Washers prevent leaks.

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