subject: Save Energy While You Conserve Water [print this page] It's more than just annoying having to stay in a house where the toilet constantly flushes because of a broken valve-- it's wasting money, energy, and water! Such a simple repair and yet there are drastic effects from not fixing such a thing.
Maybe when you lived with your parents such a malfunction would only serve as an annoyance, but to your parents it meant much more. Now that you're on your own you can understand. You want to save money and you want to be green if possible! So, how can you start?
Water conservation is highly important because although 70% of the Earth's surface is water, only 2.5% of that water is fresh water. In other words, 97.5% is salt water. But, seeing as there is so much water, 2.5% is actually a lot of water. Sure, it's a lot of water, but 70% of that fresh water is frozen in ice caps leaving less than 1% directly consumable by humans. That's not a lot.
Water conservation has become a pretty high priority. Here are some great ways to use the least amount of water for those everyday tasks, without limiting your home's livability and enjoyment.
Whether you live in Chicago or California, water conservation is important and pretty easy. Simply contact a home energy expert in your local area and you'll have the answers to your most important questions and the solutions to your home's energy issues. Think water conservation is the number one problem? Here are some suggestions provided by ENERGY STAR.
Find Leaks and Make Repairs
Whether your coffee mug leaks on you while you're driving into work or a pen leaks ink all over the place; leaks are annoying and frustrating!
Thankfully, these problems can be fixed and maybe even prevented. When a home appliance is leaking however, it might be a bigger problem. So, it might be worthwhile to run around checking all your home appliances that could leak, but what happens when you find a leak? Just asking!
Cue a home energy audit. When a professional energy expert inspects the efficiency of your home, any problem areas will be identified. What's even better? Some contractors can actually perform the repairs in addition to identifying them and sending you off to have another contractor provide the fixes.
Don't Use The Toilets
Okay, maybe you can't NOT use your toilet, but you could always go to the neighbor's house. Just kidding, but the toilet could become a huge water waster. Not only can toilets leak, but some actually effectively waste your money. So, don't think your toilet isn't wasting money just because it doesn't leak. We all know that looks can be deceiving. By having an energy expert examine your Chicago home, he/she will take each inspection far deeper than we might.
If your toilet was made in the 90s, it should be replaced by a new energy efficient toilet. ENERGY STAR estimates that a family of four could save 14,000 to 25,000 gallons of water each year!
Use Energy Efficient Clothes Washers/ Dish Washers
Clothes washers and dish washers are water hogs. The 90s is apparently the decade of energy deficient appliances. ENERGY STAR recommends washers that can use four times less energy and you can save $135 a year on energy expenses!
Families using such energy efficient washers save 1/3 of the energy they're accustomed to spending and an additional 1/2 on water expenses. With all this water you've saved, you could produce enough money to pay for a matching dryer or fill three swimming pools.
As for the dishwasher. You can save enough water each week to do three extra loads of laundry by simply using an energy efficient washer to replace your dishwasher if its 11 years old or older. You'll also save about $40 each year.
