The idea of residential water conservation is beneficial to both you and the environment. Not only do you save money, but you waste less natural resources. Aside from the obvious advice of taking shorter showers and don’t leave the sink running while you brush your teeth, what are some residential water conservation changes you can make?

Change Fixtures and Toilets

The keyword you are looking for when looking for residential water conservation options is “low-flow.” There are low flow options for most plumbing fixtures nowadays. Low-flow toilets use less water per flush than your standard toilet, making it much more efficient. You can also swap out kitchen or bathroom faucets and showerheads to more efficient options. Companies that make these are always improving their design, and low flow does not mean low water pressure. Low flow showerheads are still able to give you a good amount of pressure.

Low flush toilets are a great residential water conservation tool to control the water wasted per flush. Toilet flushes alone account for a lot of household’s water consumption. Installing a more efficient toilet or adjusting the flow rate on your toilet can help. Landlords cannot control how many times a tenant flush. But they can do everything they can to improve the toilet efficiency in their building.

Insulate Piping

Insulating your piping may not be the first thing you think of when residential water conservation comes to mind. If you must wait a while for your water to warm up before you get in the shower, it is a good sign that your pipes are not well insulated. Water loses heat when being transported through your pipes. And just like you insulate your home to keep the heat in, you should do so with your pipes to prevent heat loss. With insulated pipes and storage tanks, you or your tenants can use the water a lot quicker and waste less water waiting for it to warm up. This also saves energy that your water heater uses to heat that water.

Recycle Greywater

If you are really committed to residential water conservation, collecting and reusing greywater is a great option. Gray water is water that has been used but contains no toxic substances. For example, water from the laundry or shower. This water can be collected, treated, and used again for things like toilet flushing, cooling towers, irrigation, and more. There is some expense involved in these systems, so they are more viable for large apartment complexes and hotels. Collecting rainwater could be another good option for irrigation purposes, but you will have to check with local regulations about collecting rainwater.

If you are ready to take steps towards a more water-efficient home, we can help you! Give Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing a call to help install new efficient fixtures or insulate your piping.

Related Topics: Plumbing Tips // Residential Plumbing

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.