A Water-Savvy Home

Nowadays, every drop counts. The need for water efficiency in every home is becoming more and more essential, not only to cultivate a healthy living environment for future generations, but also for the present. Besides all the environmental benefits, the ever-increasing costs of utilities means that saving water equates to saving money.

Let’s take a look at some of the many ways in which you can create a water-savvy home.

Three essential water-saving fixtures for your home:

• Low-flow / dual flush toilets
Older model toilets can use up to 30 litres in one single flush. Modern toilets use on average 4 – 6 litres per flush, but this is still a considerable amount of waste. Consider a toilet with a low-flow flushing system that only uses around 4.8 litres and less depending on the model.

• Low-flow taps
These systems reduce the amount of water flowing from the tap in two ways: either by mixing air into the water that is flowing out of tap to give the illusion of having more flow, or by dividing a single stream of water into multiple mini jets. Standard taps average around 15 – 18 litres per minute, while low-flow taps average around 2 litres per minute.

• Low-flow shower heads
You can save water while in the shower in a number of ways. The best way would be to install a low-flow showerhead. While daily showers account for around 17 percent of the average household’s water use, a low-flow shower head can save around 2 litres of water per minute.

Bath vs. Shower:

But there are even more water-savvy ways for the showers to be even more economical:

• A bath uses around 260 litres of water, while a shower can use as little as 40 (or even less).
• Time is money. Use a kitchen timer to shorten your showers. Aim for five minutes or less.
• Don’t leave the water running when you don’t need it. This would be while applying soap shampoo conditioner or any other body products. This can cut actual flow time down by half for the average shower.
• Keep a bucket in a corner of the shower to collect excess water, which can be used for flushing toilets or watering the garden.

Drops of wisdom for a water-savvy household

• Keep your geyser well-maintained
An annual maintenance check should do the job. Find out more about proper geyser maintenance in our blog article here.

• Cover your pool when not in use
One of the main ways in which a pool loses water is evaporation, the rest is lost through various other means such as filtration and backwashing. Find out more about proper pool maintenance that won’t waste water, in our blog article here.

• Install a rainwater collection system 
Rainwater has a balanced ph. level, is chemical free and is much better for your garden. Find out more about the benefits and how to install a water tank in our blog article here.

• Collect cold water
Do you have a way to collect the cold water at each fixture? A lot of water is wasted while waiting for taps to warm up.

• Check for leaks
Are there any leaks in your home? They should be fixed immediately. Don’t know if you have a leak? Check your water meter regularly to gain insight into your usage, so that a hidden leak can be easily detected.

Create a garden that’s geared for conservation

• With smaller gardens, consider hand watering instead of using a sprinkler system.
• Apply a layer of mulch around 5 – 8cm thick around trees and plants to reduce water loss by evaporation.
• Consider smaller areas of lawn as it drinks up most of the water when irrigating the garden.

BUCO helps you save

Luckily with BUCO, it’s easy to conserve water on a budget. Visit us in-store today and chat to one of our friendly experts about the best water-saving solutions for your home.

Find your nearest BUCO store here: Find a Store

Shop more water-savvy solutions in our online store here: www.buco.co.za.