To best save water at home you need to understand how much water you are using. Here is a summary of different water use around the home: Toilet - High: 3 gallons per flush - Low flow: 1.2 - 1.6 gallons per flush Shower - High flow: 5-10 gallons of water per minute - Low flow: 2.5 gallons of water per minute Bath - Full: ~25-30 gallons - Half: ~12-15 gallons Water Faucet - High flow: 3 gallons of water per minute - Low flow: 1.5 gallons of water per minute Dishwasher - Older dishwashers: 9-15 gallons of water per wash - Newer dishwashers: 4-10 gallons of water per wash Clothes Washer - Top Loading: 35-45 gallons of water per load - Front Loading: 15-25 gallons of water per load Outside Hose - High: 5-10 gallons per minute - Low: 3 gallons per minute Outside sprinkler system - 10-15 gallons per minute per sprinkler - Therefore, if you have: 7 sprinkler heads x 12 gallons/minute x 30 minutes = over 2500 gallons!!! The average water use in the home is as follows: The average person uses around 50 to 100 gallons per day of water at home. The typical breakdown of where water in the home is used looks like this (note: indoor only):
Having a good understanding of how much water each item uses as well as what the big hitters are on your water consumption can help you reduce your water consumption. For example, toilets, leaks, showers, and washing machines are major water users. Adding to the efficiency of these items as well as using them less (or fixing that leak) can have a big impact. Ways to reduce your water consumption at home:
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