Water conservation

We can’t live without water so we must save it and it’s a vital part of our home’s efficiency. While there may seem to be plenty of rain, there are more and more of us consuming more and more of it. Which is very worrying for our water companies!

We can’t live without water so we must save it and it’s a vital part of our home’s efficiency. While there may seem to be plenty of rain, more and more of us are consuming greater amounts of water. This is very worrying for our water companies!

We all use far too much! In the UK we consume around 150litres per day each, which must be reduced to 85litres each by 2016! So conservation is extremely important. Make sure that taps don’t drip or are left running during basic tasks such as cleaning your teeth or washing your hands!

It’s a fact that we use some 70% more water than we did four decades ago and 90% of all water in our homes goes straight down the drain!

In addition to installing products and appliances, you can recycle grey water to wash the car and water the garden. You could install the largest rain water collection tank possible or, even better, put in an under ground tank to supply such things as toilets, washing machine, dishwasher and so on!

Where possible direct all rainwater from your roof into a tank. It’s said that the average roof may collect a ‘modest’ 85,000 litres of rain a year – that’s enough ‘free’ water to fill 450 water butts!

Make sure you use permeable paving surfaces around your home plus plenty of lawns that will help rainwater drain away more easily. On part of your property it may even be possible to install a green roof, which would use special plants and grass that needs little or no maintenance yet retains rainwater.

A green roof also helps conserve energy because it’s warmer and can be a great site for thermal solar and photovoltaic panels.