Americans use a lot of water. Estimates vary, but the average person in the United States uses 80-100 gallons per day in their home. Texas is on the upper end of that spectrum, landing at an average of 93 gallons per person per day. Water is one of the most important resources we have, but too many simply take it for granted, like clean air for example.
But how is that number reached, how do you know your personal usage, and what could you do to bring that number down? Learn all of that and more in our latest blog!
How Water Usage Typically Breaks Down
To describe our water usage, we first need to break down how water is normally used. For this exercise, we will omit the water usage inherent in the food and products we use, as that would significantly raise our figure for daily water usage. We will just focus on liquid water usage per day.
According to the EPA, the following is how the typical American family uses water:
- Toilet – 24%
- Shower – 20%
- Faucet – 19%
- Clothes Washer – 17%
- Other Miscellaneous Usage – 20%
As you can see, the biggest water culprit in your home may not be your very long showers, but your toilet. Showers aren’t that far behind, though, followed by using your faucet and clothes washer.
If you would like to learn more about your own water usage, this link can help you determine what your personal water footprint may be.
Why Even Reduce Your Water Usage?
Even if you have a solid breakdown of your water usage, why should you reduce your water usage at all?
The first and most personal reason to reduce water usage is to lower your water bill and save money overall. Just like other utilities, reducing your usage will have a direct effect on your bills. You could save money that could be used for other bills like groceries and gas.
Another reason to conserve would be that our fresh water supply is limited and is slowly decreasing as we use more water each year. Less than 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater, and only 1% of that water is easily accessible. Even with our improvements in technology, water is becoming more scarce as each year passes. By conserving water, you help conserve that precious water.
When you conserve water, you indirectly save energy as well. Water pumping and filtration take a lot of energy; especially in El Paso, where we have a unique filtration system to keep the Sun City supplied with water. In California, for instance, it’s estimated that nearly 7% percent of all energy usage in the state goes towards pumping water to homes. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you contribute to helping the environment by cutting down on energy use.
When you conserve your water for personal use, that water can also be used for other uses like agriculture, power production, and more. The agricultural industry uses the vast majority of freshwater from year to year, so saving water can mean more food production.
So there are plenty of personal and social reasons to conserve water, but what exactly are the best ways to do that?
Everyday Ways To Conserve Water
If you’d like to conserve water, there’s good news! There are literally hundreds of ways to conserve water and this article will discuss just a few of those here!
- Check Your Toilet, Faucets, & Pipes For Leaks – One of the easiest ways to conserve water in your home is to simply check for leaks.
- Take Shorter Showers – Shorter showers are an often-taught but sure-fire way to keep your water bill down. For most people, a 2-3 minute shower is more than enough to get squeaky clean.
- Don’t Let Water Run While Showering Or Brushing Teeth – When you take you (hopefully short) shower or brush your teeth, don’t let water run the entire time.
- Don’t Leave Running Water To Rinse Dishes – Just like our last tip, don’t use leave the water running as you rinse your dishes. Turn off the water between rinses to conserve water.
- Install More Efficient Appliances – Another great way to conserve water is to get more efficient appliances. Every year, appliances are developed that make the most of the water they use.
- Try To Use Full Loads For Clothes Washing – If it’s time to wash your clothes, try to only wash them when you have a full load of laundry. This saves money and water over the lifetime of your appliances.
Trust Sun Tech For All Your Water Needs!
For more water knowledge or products to help you conserve, Sun Tech Services has what you need! Contact us today or browse our website for more info!