Saving Water Indoors

Finding ways to conserve water inside the house is a great way to save money on your water bill year round. Here are some tips for conducting in-home audits for finding and repairing leaks, replacing old appliances, upgrading fixtures, and changing water use routines.

Water Use Chart

Source: Water Research Foundation
This chart shows the typical breakdown of water uses
in the average home. There are water-saving opportunities
in every category.

Showers:
  • Install water-efficient showerheads. These use less water than regular showerheads without a noticeable change in water pressure.
  • Take the five-minute shower challenge using a shower timer.
Bathroom sinks:
  • Install a bathroom faucet aerator to regulate water flow. This will reduce your water flow to one gallon per minute.
  • Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or lathering your hands with soap.
  • Repair dripping and leaky faucets. Often the issue is a worn out washer, which is easy to replace. Watch this video on how to fix a dripping faucet.
Indoor Water
 Conservation Kit
The City offers a
free indoor water
conservation kit, which comes with a high-efficiency shower
head, bathroom and
kitchen sink aerators, and a 5-minute shower timer. Find out how
 to get your kit.


Toilets:

  • Replace old toilets with water-efficient toilets. Today's toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons per flush.
  • If you can't replace an old toilet, install a water displacement device in the tank to use less water per flush.
  • Drop some food coloring or a dye tablet in the tank to determine if you have a leak. Watch this video on how to check for toilet leaks.

Kitchen sink:

  • Install a kitchen faucet aerator to regulate water flow to just 1.5 gallons per minute.
  • When hand washing dishes, fill up a sink or water basin with soapy water. Turn on the faucet only when actively rinsing instead of washing in a constant stream.
  • Repair dripping and leaky faucets.

Dishwasher:

  • Scrape plates of food remains instead of pre-rinsing to the extent possible.
  • Dishwashers use the same amount of water each run, regardless of how many dishes are loaded inside, so wash full loads only.
  • Replace an old dishwasher with an ENERGY STAR certified dishwasher. Older dishwashers can use up to 10-15 gallons of water per load. An energy-efficient dishwasher uses 5.5 gallons per load, saving a family of four up to 1,000 gallons annually.

Washing machine:

  • If you have an old washing machine, replace it with an ENERGY STAR certified washing machine. A washer that uses less than 15 gallons of water per cycle is considered energy-efficient—most older machines use more than that.
  • Adjust the wash cycle to the size of the load if you have that option.