Green Tip- Water Conservation
Clean water is becoming a scare commodity. Much or the country is facing serious drought conditions. However, there are easy ways that you as an individual can save water and money effortlessly.
One of the biggest uses of water around the home is the shower. The average American uses 1.2 trillion gallons of water each year. A typical shower uses up to 25 gallons, while each American uses an average of 100 gallons of water a day total.
Low-flow showerheads are commercially available that reduce water consumption from 50 to 70 percent. Low-flow showerheads start around $8 and are simple to install. There are many styles and features available. There are some models that include flow-adjusting dials and a pause button, which allows you to break for a bit of lathering up, and then return to the same temperature and pressure.
A power shower is another way to conserve water. A five-minute shower uses about 12.5 gallons. If you don’t have a timer in your shower and you do have a shower radio you can time your shower to last a little bit longer than your average song on the radio.
An additional incentive to use less water is that you reduce the energy required to heat the water. According to the EPA, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses as much energy as it takes to keep a 60-watt light bulb lit for 14 hours.