We haven’t reached drought status yet, but the reservoirs are decreasing and with no rain predicted in the next 14-day forecast, it’s time to really start thinking about conserving water. Thames Water’s message issued today reinforces the need to be prudent with our water usage at the moment:
The hot weather means we’re seeing a huge increase in demand for water across our entire area. As a result of the amount of water being used, some areas are experiencing low water pressure – particularly at peak times. This is because water cannot travel around the network quickly enough.
Over the last few days, we’ve seen the highest ever water usage across our network. We’re doing everything we can to meet this extra demand, but we need your help.
We’re asking all our customers to save as much water as possible. This includes not using hoses or sprinklers so there is enough to go around and keep water coming out of everyone’s taps.” Thames Water
Here are some easy ways you can conserve in your home:
IN THE BATHROOM
“If it’s brown, flush it down. If it’s yellow let it mellow”. Does this really need an explanation? It isn’t genuinely necessary to flush for a number one, so let a few go and flush only intermittently.
Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. We assume you’re all good brushers and therefore brushing for a whole two minutes. If you are and your tap is running, that’s a whole lot of water going down the drain. Turn off while brushing and save.
Have a four-minute shower instead of a bath. Make it a competition to see who can shower the fastest. Invest in one of the shower timers and see if you can beat your time. Bonus points for turning the shower off while you lather up. And if you really want to be good, place a bucket in the shower with you to collect all that water that sprays everywhere; you can use that to flush your toilet!
IN THE KITCHEN
Invest in a washing-up bowl. Collect the water in a washing-up bowl when rinsing fruit and use the water for the garden.
Put your drinking water in fridge. If you like your water cold, fill a jug and place it in the fridge. Letting your tap run until the water is cold uses up to 10L of water a day.
Don’t ditch half-full glasses of water. Didn’t finish that glass of water? Feed it to the plants instead, they don’t mind sharing.
IN THE GARDEN
Invest in drought-resistant plants. One of the joys of summer is enjoying time in the garden. Look out for drought-resistant plants that don’t require too much water but still offer a great display.
Attach a trigger nozzle to your hose. Control the amount of water coming out of the garden hose by attaching a trigger nozzle, making sure you’re not watering the paving stones while you’re walking from plant to plant.
Install a water butt. Leverage the rain the rest of the year by installing water butts to collect from your property’s downpipes. Use that water to keep your garden blooming all summer.
Do you have any more great water saving tips to share?
