Water Conservation Tips
In Ontario, the greatest water uses in an average home are:
- Toilet (45%)
- Showers (30%)
- Laundry (20%)
- Drinking and cooking (5%)
In the summer, water usage increases drastically to accommodate lawn and garden watering.
Here are some tips and tricks to help households reduce their water consumption.
Reduce - be aware of your water use, and consider ways to use less
- Turn off the tap when brushing teeth or washing your hands.
- Keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap to get cold water.
- Wash your fruit and vegetables in a pan instead of running water from the tap.
- Don’t use running water to thaw food. For water efficiency and food safety, defrost food in the refrigerator.
- Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up 550 litres per week.
- Cut grass to a higher level (5-8cm). Taller grass shades roots and holds soil moisture better than short grass.
- Avoid children’s recreational water toys that requires a constant flow of water; consider a small kiddy pool instead.
- Water vegetable gardens in the morning or evening, near the roots, and by hand.
Repair - locate and repair leaks to save water, money and to prevent potentially costly property damage
- Check for toilet leaks; add a few drops of food colouring into the toilet tanks and wait a few minutes. If, without flushing, the colour appears in the bowl, you have a leak.
- Check for leaks in pipes and fittings; a leak of only one drop per second wastes up to 10,000 L of water annually.
Retrofit - install water saving devices on existing on existing fixtures and select water efficient devices when replacing older, water guzzling fixtures and appliances
- Low flow shower head can save up to 7.5 liters of water per minute.
- Faucet aerator can reduce water use by 25%.
- Older toilets use about 20L per flush. Consider installing a low-flow toilet which uses only 6L.