Welcome to TapTips

The average person in the UK uses around 143 litres of water per day. Most of this water is the same quality drinking water that comes out of your tap and a hefty portion of this ends up going down the drain. With the average UK annual water bill totalling around £400, being mindful of your water use and using water more intelligently can save you hundreds of pounds. Find out how you can achieve this through our top 5 water-saving tips that you can implement right at home!

 

To Shower or Not to Shower?

We’ve all been told that showers are more efficient than baths in terms of water consumption but this is only if you optimise your showers by spending less time under the showerhead and if you use a showerhead that is geared for conserving water.

 

The average bath uses around 80 litres of water and a regular showerhead produces 12 litres of water per minute. Showers are great if you only take the recommended 4 minutes to shower, if you’re one to indulge in 10 minute long power showers, your water usage could sky-rocket to a total of 150 litres as power shower heads use 3 more litres per minute than regular shower heads. This immediately exceeds the average person’s water use for a whole day! So stick on one of your favourite songs and use that to time the optimal water-saving shower.

 

Human vs Appliance

Thought you were better than your dishwasher? Think again. The average person uses up to 5 times more water than an efficient dishwasher does and 3.5 times more than a regular dishwasher. Save yourself time and water by letting the machine wash your dishes but make sure you wait until your dishwasher is full before you switch it on to really make sure you maximise on your savings!

 

Patience Pays Off

In a world obsessed with instant rewards and results it’s easy to develop wasteful habits that could be combated with a little bit of patience. Waiting till you have enough for a full load of laundry before you run a wash cycle. Check your manual for your machine’s most efficient laundry programs and maximum load capacity. For example, programs such as those for synthetic clothes use up to 50% more water than cotton washes as they aim to avoid creasing in addition to washing your clothes.

 

Home Improvements

Small changes that you make to appliances in your home can have a significant effect on the water you end up using in your house on a daily basis and the best part about them is they can save you water and money without you even thinking about them.

 

Updating your toilet flush system can save you litres of water each time you flush. Old flush systems can send 13 litres of water down the toilet per flush which can be optimised with newer dual-flush system upgrades or by installing a displacement system, both of which will save you between 1 and 3 litres with every flush. With the average person flushing their toilet 5 times a day, that’s a saving of 15 litres of water per day!

 

Installing a water butt in the garden is also a great way to save water at home for those of you who like to water your grass and plants. They sit there and collect 5000 litres of water per year and cut down your usual water wastage by 33% by replacing a running hose or sprinkler system.

 

Be Mindful

Your water usage in the home may be the last thing on your mind but small things such as a dripping tap or how you use your wastewater can make a big difference. A dripping tap in the home can waste up to 15 litres of water per day, and the 5 litres you use to wash your fruits and vegetables in the sink can be easily caught in a bowl and used to water plants in the home instead.

 

Switching the tap off whilst you brush your teeth and wash things like produce and dishes can also save litres per day. Boiling only the amount you need in the kettle also saves not only water, but energy and time and any excess kettle water can be refrigerated and drank later for purified, cool water that saves running the tap excessively whilst waiting for the water to get cold.