Although you have a readily available supply of water in your eastern North Carolina home, the droughts and shortages in other areas of the country demonstrate that conserving this precious resource is a necessity. This is especially true in the summer, when water use in the average household quadruples compared to wintertime consumption.
Here are some water conservation tips that you can easily implement to reduce your usage this summer:
Have Plumbing Leaks Fixed
Thousands of gallons of water can be wasted in the summer and throughout the year due to leaks in your home’s plumbing system. To reduce any needless waste and lower your utility bill too, have the system inspected by a professional plumber and get issues like dripping faucets and shower heads, minor leaks in water lines and running toilets fixed promptly.
Curb Consumption in the Kitchen
Your dishwasher isn’t just a modern convenience, it’s also a conservation tool that uses just six gallons of water per cycle compared to 27 gallons for hand-washing. These significant savings can go away if you skip the wasteful pre rinse step. Be sure to select your dishwasher’s most frugal water setting as well, and only run the appliance when it’s completely full.
Conserve Water in the Bathroom
Replace your bathroom faucets and shower heads with WaterSense-certified versions that are 20 percent more water-efficient than standard products, as rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Shut off the faucet when you shave or brush your teeth, and shorten the length of your showers — if you trim just two minutes from your usual shower time, you’ll save about 1,750 gallons of water a year.
Water the Lawn and Gardens When It’s Cooler
When the sun is up high, water tends to evaporate instead of absorbing into the ground, so it’s best to water your lawn in the early morning or evening. If you have a sprinkler system, check that it’s watering the lawn rather than the driveway, and relocate the sprinkler heads as needed.
These water conservation tips brought to you by your home comfort pros at Jackson & Sons. Contact Jackson and Sons for all of your home and business heating and air needs.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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