Saving water at home tips. Research work "Saving water as a way of its rational use in everyday life"

You can reduce water consumption by up to 50-70% by eliminating all leaks and adjusting the operation of the drain tank. Smart Savings starts with good habits: by turning off the water when it is not needed, you significantly reduce the amount of utility bills. Choosing the Right household appliances, using aerators, a tank with two buttons, special shower dividers, you are laying the foundations for your future well-being.

Every year the rates for public utilities are increasing, and the topic of saving water and electricity in Everyday life is gaining more and more popularity. Numerous videos show a lot of tricks that allow you to change the meter readings and hide the real consumption of resources. In this article, we would like to tell you some completely legal ways to save water without denying yourself comfort.

Some ways are based on smart consumption, while others involve buying special equipment. It turns out that choosing plumbing and Appliances, we can significantly reduce water consumption and save our own money. The main thing is not too lazy to find out specifications devices. Observing simple rules you can reduce your water consumption by 50-70%, don't you believe it? Then read on.

How many liters are in one cube?

One of the reasons for the excessive consumption of water is the fact that many people do not quite understand what a cubic meter means. Villagers measure water consumption with buckets. 20 liters is one time to go to the well, pull it out by hand and bring home 2 buckets. Now let's figure out what a cubic meter is:

1 cubic meter = 1000 liters. = 100 buckets of water

If you use 20 cubic meters of water per month, then you would have to go to the well 1000 times. Some of this water is hot, if you lived in a village you would have to chop wood and fire up the stove to heat it up. And now back to cozy apartment and talk about how we can reduce our water consumption and significantly reduce our bills.

Useful list

You can print this table and hang it in the most visible place in the house so that relatives and children have a correct idea of ​​how much water they consume while doing their usual activities.

Get bright brochures that tell about environmental problems in a way that is easy for children to understand and how to save water and electricity. There are a lot of animations and slides on this topic on the net, just take a little time to find them and the children will happily learn new skills.

Repair all leaks

As the list shows, we lose up to 13,000 liters on some leaks. monthly is 13 cubic meters. Repair any leaks and adjust the toilet cistern.

Aerator

This is perhaps the most affordable way savings. How does an aerator help conserve water? The nozzle is screwed onto the faucet spout, thanks to a system of fine meshes and dividers, it mixes the flow of water with air, due to which savings from 15 to 70% are achieved without loss of jet density. Passing through the nets, the flow softens, the noise and the amount of splashes decrease, and it is much more pleasant to use such water. At the same time, washing dishes or washing soap off your hands is no worse than with a fully open tap without an aerator.

When choosing aerators, you need to proceed from your own needs. Experts have calculated that for comfortable use:

• kitchen faucet (dishwashing or water supply) a capacity of 3-5 l / min is sufficient.
• for a washbasin in the bathroom (fine washing, washing, brushing teeth) only 1.7-3 l / min.
• shower head 6-10 l.
• We consider it inexpedient to put an aerator on the bath faucet, since when filling the bath, we will collect 100-150 liters with or without a nozzle. With an aerator, this process will take twice as long, the water will cool, and irritation will increase, especially if more than one person lives in the house.

In standard mixers, from 10 to 16 liters pass per minute. water depending on the pressure and diameter of the tap.

The cost of aerators is from $ 0.6 to $ 16 per piece. It is very convenient to buy sets of 3 nozzles with different capacities: for the kitchen, for the washbasin and a limiter for the shower head.

Water saving faucets

The amount of water consumed depends a lot on the design of the mixer itself. Designers and developers around the world are thinking about how to make modern plumbing even more convenient and economical. We will consider several such models.

single lever mixer

Choosing optimal temperature water, we rotate the taps, it takes about a minute, during which time up to 8 liters are drained into the sewer. It is much faster and more convenient to regulate the temperature if there is only one lever on the mixer.

Save money by showering

We use a significant amount of water for personal hygiene purposes. Taking a bath in the evening and a short shower in the morning, each member of the family uses 180-200 liters. water per day. By simple calculations, you can find out how much your family spends monthly on water procedures. Need to multiply 180 liters. on the number of residents and the number of days in a month. Knowing the tariffs of your region, and the number of cubic meters you used, you can easily calculate the cost.

Changing habits

Taking a bath, we pour an average of 150 liters. water (hot + cold), and during a quick shower, only 30-40 liters are spent. If a family of 4 chooses a quick shower instead of a bathtub twice a week, they can save up to 46 m³in year.

It is worth pointing out to the reader that what is meant is a quick shower - this means that water is used to wet the body and wash off the foam, and while lathering, the tap remains closed. Leaving the shower on will use up as much water as if you were taking a bath.

Fill the bath to 50%, this is enough to comfortably accommodate your body, because most likely you will want to top up hot water and spend more time in the bathroom. Try not to let the water reach the overflow hole, as extra liters turn into bills when you pay your bills.

fixtures

Water flow restrictor

You can save money while taking a shower if you purchase and install a water-saving nozzle that is screwed between the faucet and the shower hose and restricts the flow of water. Nozzle capacity 5 l. per minute, it turns out real savings 5-10 l. in a minute.

Water-saving watering can

A smart decision is to change a regular shower head to a water-saving one, of course, this is an additional expense, but the purchase pays off pretty quickly. If you live on upper floors and you bad pressure water, such a watering can will help solve this problem. Designers have developed several types of nozzles that act differently. Some increase the density of the jet due to the fact that they have many small holes. Others mix water with air like an aerator. Such nozzles have throughput 5-9 l. while the jets have good density and pleasantly envelop the body.

shower thermostat

A lot of water leaks into the sewer while you are trying to set the desired temperature. This is what each member of the family does. By installing a thermostat, you set the settings once, and in the future, the system automatically adjusts the pressure and temperature of the water. As a result, you not only save water, but also avoid unpleasant situations when ice water or boiling water is poured on your head. The thermostat is for the shower and for the faucets.

Multi-tariff meter

Now let's talk about how to save water in an apartment with a meter. Quite often it happens that when opening a hot tap, the hostess is forced to wait a few minutes until the water gets warmer, the meter at this time counts liters, and on the receipt this water will be listed as “hot” and paid at the appropriate rate. Is it a shame to pay extra money for a service that you did not use?

And if a similar situation is repeated daily, then the overpayment becomes quite significant. In order not to overpay in the future, install a multi-tariff meter in your apartment. It is equipped with a temperature sensor that recognizes the temperature and detects water below 40 ° C as cold, and above 40 ° C as hot.

Of course, a meter with a temperature sensor is more expensive than usual, but the difference in price is quickly covered by savings on utility bills. It is worth mentioning that not all public utilities agree to accept the readings of such devices, before making a purchase, check with the public utilities whether they will meet you. If not, then you need to reconcile or defend your rights in court.

Presented on the market wide range of multi-tariff meters of both domestic and foreign production. For example: " LV 4T», « Archimedes», « x5», « T-RMD"(company" Sayany "), etc. Depending on the model, the device can be powered by batteries or mains. Information about how much and what temperature of water was spent is displayed on the electronic display. Such meters are convenient, easy to operate and maintain. Separately, you can purchase an adapter that will transfer the readings of the device to your PC.

Water saving is an integral part of a set of measures aimed at reducing the cost of utility bills.

Despite the fact that in overall structure monthly utility bills, water bills are far from the first place, in terms of the year, the amounts are still significant, which means they need to be reduced.

With the proper approach, the amount that you pay monthly for used water can be quite realistically reduced by two or even three times.

• First of all, you should keep the plumbing in good condition. What kind of savings can we talk about when water often flows just like that ?!
• Repair or replace any leaky faucets.
  Dripping from a tap is a loss of up to 24 liters per day (720 liters per month), a leak from a tap is up to 144 liters per day (i.e. up to 4000 liters of water per month)!
  Also, make sure to close the faucet tightly.

It is necessary to make the most of modern household appliances and plumbing fixtures.

• Handwash laundry is more expensive than using a washing machine.
• For washing dishes, it is better, of course, to use a dishwasher, which consumes an order of magnitude less water compared to manual washing. As a result water, time and money (detergents) are saved. The dishwasher will save you up to 2/3 of the water that you used to spend on washing dishes.
• Currently, there are a lot of equipment for sale that significantly saves water. Ideally, you should replace all outdated plumbing with more economical, modern ones. For example, install a toilet with a flush tank that works in two modes - standard and economical, which will save about 15 liters of water per day for a family of three. Thus, in a year you will save 5500 liters of water.
• Faucets now huge selection, which consume water most economically - lever, sensory, with two streams, with spray aerators, etc. The use of such devices allows you to save up to 60% of water.

If you "can't afford" such faucets and toilets, and buying dishwasher In the long run, there are easier ways to save water:

• Use a shower instead of a bath. Taking a shower for 5 minutes, you spend up to 50 liters of water. And in order to fill the bath, you need more water - up to 200 liters.
• When washing dishes, do not keep the tap constantly open. The use of running water is doubly wasteful, since it increases not only the consumption of water, but also detergents. If you close the tap between rinsing the plates, the water consumption will decrease tenfold.
• Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. To rinse your mouth, take a glass of water. Thus, you will save up to 45 liters of water - that is how much will go into the sewer through an open tap in 3 minutes.
• If a cistern your toilet is not equipped with two flush modes, then a simple remedy will help to avoid water loss. Fill a two-liter plastic bottle water and place in a container. This simple "device" will save up to 20 liters pure water in a day.
• Install spray nozzles on faucets. It will also help reduce water consumption.
• Do not defrost food under running water. In addition to its inappropriate consumption, this is fraught with deterioration in the properties of products. It is best to transfer food from the freezer to the refrigerator in advance.
• Do not wash fruits and vegetables under running water. Use a bowl to wash food. This method allows you to effectively clean the fruit from sand and dirt. To fill one large pot or bowl, you only need 3 liters of water, while in the case of a flow-through washing of fruits, 15 liters of water flow out of the tap every minute.

By carefully spending water, you save your family budget!

Water covers 70% of the earth's surface, but only 1% of the water is readily available for consumption. Considering that water is an extremely important resource for life on Earth, reducing the water footprint of its consumption is a responsible step for any person. Saving water is not at all difficult, but it is necessary to start such savings with own house. There are a number of strategies that can help you conserve water while doing laundry, washing dishes, brushing your teeth, watering plants, and more.

Steps

Saving water in the bathroom

Check faucets, toilets and pipes for leaks. Hidden water leaks in a house can be more than ten cubic meters per year. For this reason, be sure to check your plumbing system for leaks, especially leaking toilets and faucets.

Remember to turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave. Don't just let the water run while you brush your teeth, turn it off when you don't need it. When shaving, turn off the water between rinsing the razor.

• If you shave in the shower, try turning off the shower while you shave, instead of leaving the water on.

1. Install water-saving shower heads. Many shower heads use up to 10 liters of water per minute, and some up to 20. Get yourself water-saving shower heads that will work with the same pressure, giving the same feeling as regular shower heads, but at the same time will use up two times less water.

   • Depending on the quality, economical shower heads can cost from a few hundred to several thousand rubles.
   • You can also install a separate faucet on the shower head, which will allow you to temporarily turn off the water while you soap up, and turn it back on at the same temperature setting.

2. Install aerators on faucets. The presence of an aerator on the mixers allows you to enrich the water with oxygen, create a more stable flow and consume less water in general. Installing the aerator is quite simple - it only needs to be screwed onto the faucet; and it costs, on average, from several tens of rubles to a couple of hundred.

   Learn to shower faster. Take a clock or timer with you to the bathroom and try to shorten your usual shower time, or turn on one tune and strive to complete all procedures by the end of it. Reducing your shower time by just 2 minutes can save you up to 40 liters of water.

   Install an economical tank or a tank with two flush modes in the toilet. Economical cisterns consume no more than 6 liters of water per drain, while conventional cisterns can consume three or even four times more than this. Toilet cisterns with two drain modes allow you to use less water for liquid excrement and more for solid ones (by pressing the appropriate buttons).

   • You can also purchase a water saver separately. drain mechanism with a double flush system to install a double button on your tank. Look for these products at your local plumbing stores or online. They work well and at the same time allow you to save money.
   • Know that not all toilets clean effectively when flushed. a small amount water, so first check the data question in a practical way. If your toilet isn't flushing properly because of the reduced volume of water, your toilet needs more water.

3. Do not use the toilet as a trash can. Flushing garbage down the toilet not only can lead to clogged drains and increased water pollution, but also creates additional flushing water. Using a trash can to throw away paper napkins, expired medicines, and any other small trash will allow you to avoid unnecessary expenses.

   Hang washed clothes on a clothes dryer. It probably won't be possible to do this with all of your clothes, but try to hang as many dresses, shirts, trousers, etc. as you can to dry naturally. Application electric dryers leads to big expense electricity, for the production of which, among other things, water is spent.

   Wash less. Many items of clothing, such as jeans and sweaters, do not need to be washed daily. Try to be aware of what things are really dirty, and what else can be put on again. Not only will you save water, but you will also reduce wear and tear on your clothes!

   • Nightwear pajamas are perfectly acceptable to wear two or three times before going to the laundry, especially if you always shower before bed.
   • Change your socks and underwear daily, but pants, jeans, skirts, and other clothing can be worn more than once before being washed.
   • When wearing a sweatshirt or sweatshirt over a shirt, only the shirt will require regular washing.
   • Hang towels after use to dry on a heated towel rail and use them several times before the next wash.

Saving water in the kitchen

1. Fully load the dishwasher. Just like with a washing machine, you need to ensure that the dishwasher is fully loaded before you start it, so as not to waste water.

   • If you don't have a dishwasher, try washing dishes in a sink or saucepan filled with water instead of leaving the water on all the time you do the dishes.
   • Dispose of large food residues from plates in the trash or compost pit. If the dishes do not clean in the dishwasher without pre-rinsing, make sure you load the appliance correctly, that the machine is in good condition, and that you use an effective dishwasher detergent.

2. Use the food waste disposer less often if it is installed in the sink. The food waste disposer requires a lot of water to flush out the shredded debris, so try not to use it too often. Either just pick up food leftovers from the sink and throw them in the trash, or even have a compost bin in your yard instead of flushing food waste down the drain through a grinder.

   Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator compartment of the refrigerator. Although immersing frozen food in water may speed up defrosting, it results in an unreasonable increase in water consumption. Try to plan everything in advance and transfer the necessary frozen foods to thaw overnight in the refrigerator compartment.

   Wash food in a sink or pot filled with water. When it comes to washing fruits, vegetables, and other foods, try doing it in a sink full of water or a saucepan instead of using running water. So you spend less water, and the used water itself can be directed to watering plants.

   Hold a pitcher with drinking water in the fridge. Instead of taking a long time tap water To make it cool enough to drink, fill a pitcher or bottle with water and refrigerate. So you do not have to drain the water and wait for it to go cold, this will also save a valuable resource.

Saving water in your backyard

Install a water meter. You may be surprised how much water is actually used for irrigation. personal plot. With the installation of a meter, you will ensure that you are fully aware of your spending and can take steps to reduce water consumption.

• If you already have a meter, learn how to use its readings. Meters can be very useful for identifying hidden leaks. Do not use water for an hour or two and take a look at the meter again. If they have changed, it means there is a leak somewhere.

1. Use a thoughtful approach to watering your garden and the plants in it. Water can also be saved when watering lawns and plants without compromising their health. Water only when it is really needed (when prolonged absence rain), and on those plots of land that need it.

   • The best time for watering is in the morning or evening when the water does not evaporate quickly. Watering should not be done in cool, rainy and windy weather.
   • Water your garden with a watering can or use a diffuser hose nozzle to avoid excess expense water.
   • You can also organize a rainwater harvesting system to monitor rainfall and use the collected water to irrigate lawns, gardens and gardens. Before installing a rainwater harvesting system, make sure that you are not violating any local environmental regulations.
   • Water the plants better, but less frequently. This will stimulate the development of a deeper root system in plants, which will reduce their need for frequent watering.

2. Install timers on your irrigation system. Install timers on street water taps and sprinklers of the automatic irrigation system. Look for inexpensive automatic timers that fit between the hose and the watering nipple, or install a programmable timer on your sprinkler system or drip irrigation. An automatic timer will also help you organize watering at exactly the time of day when the water the best way is absorbed into the soil.

   • If you turn on watering manually, use a kitchen timer to timely turn off the water supply or keep an eye on the watering process all the time.
   • Find out how to best set your irrigation system timer for different seasons. In damp and cool weather, plants should be watered less often or not at all.
   • Do not overwater the soil and do not water it faster than it can absorb water. If water runs off the lawn onto the pavement, shorten the watering time or divide it into two shorter runs so that the water has enough time to soak into the soil.

3. Monitor the condition of the sprinklers and the irrigation system as a whole. If you use timers, be sure to check them periodically. Repair broken sprinklers and burst pipes, and make sure that the irrigation area is located where it is meant to be.

   • Consider installing a drip irrigation system or similar to save even more water.
   • If necessary, adjust the sprinklers so that they only cover areas that need water, not sidewalks and driveways.

4. Don't cut lawns too short. In terms of water conservation, tall grass is better than too short. Grass is able to grow longer roots when it is longer itself, allowing it to be watered less frequently. Raise the mower blades higher to avoid cutting the grass too short.

   • If you live in a region with irregular rainfall, try not to seed your lawns with grass, but plant them with low-maintenance, low-maintenance, low-watering, native ornamental plants.

5. Cover the outdoor pool with a protective awning. If you have an outdoor pool, using a protective awning at night will help keep excess water from evaporating during the hot months. In some regions of some countries, emptying basins and refilling them with new water is under strict restrictions or even prohibited, so the preservation of water in the basin is a critical task there.

Our planet is rich in various minerals - gold, iron, coal, oil and more. But did you think that, in fact, is the most expensive in this case. We can say with certainty that it is water! You can say that there is a lot of it around, as soon as we turn on the tap - and you can take as much as you want. And it really is. But due to global warming, a large amount of fresh water, which is concentrated in glaciers, is constantly decreasing.

You most likely cannot imagine how much of our fresh water is spent daily. On the planet, each person consumes approximately 100 liters. water, of course if you take the average. It is enough just to calculate mathematically, about seven billion people live on our Earth, who are provided with 700 million tons, and this is not counting factories and plants that consume much more water.

It is important not only to save rare species plants or animals, it is much more important to preserve fresh water that gives life to all of us on planet Earth. Without it, not only plants and animals will die, but people may also be on the verge of extinction. If you think that the world ocean can become like artesian well, which will give an unlimited amount of pure water, then you are deeply mistaken. Pollution environment and global warming do not contribute to the formation of water reserves, rather the opposite.

All the media urge us to save money and be careful, but unfortunately most of us do not take these appeals seriously, thinking that if there is a problem with drinking water, scientists will be able to find a way out of any situation.

Perhaps they will someday succeed, but the process of creation drinking water artificial method - this is such an expensive process that a bottle of drinking water will not be available to everyone.

So the next time you turn on the faucet at full capacity or leave it open, if the phone suddenly rings, think about your children, will they have enough water, will they pay for our unconscious waste natural resources, including water.

Make sure all of your faucets and toilet bowl are working properly, closing well and not leaking. This will save more than a dozen liters of water per day.

Wash dishes not under running water, but in two containers - for dirty dishes and for rinsing dishes, or use a sink stopper, and then rinse under running water. Use spray nozzles on the faucet, they are more effective for washing dishes.

Turn off the water faucet when you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hair. This will help save up to 40 liters per day. To brush your teeth, just take a glass of water and rinse your mouth and rinse your toothbrush.

Give preference to the shower, rather than taking a bath. It is better if it is a cool shower, because cool water will not only give you a boost of energy, but also will not keep you longer than necessary in the shower. hot or warm shower give the effect of relaxation and you can forget in time.

Install water meters. You will always remember that all used water is taken into account, so you will monitor its consumption. Meters significantly reduce utility bills.

Wash only when you have enough laundry and items to load a full washing machine drum. The same rule applies to the dishwasher. This will allow you to save up to 30% of water.

Wash vegetables and fruits not under the tap, but in a separate container. This water can then be used to water plants.

Do not defrost food with water. It is better to leave to defrost overnight or use the microwave.

Wash dishes as soon as you eat or cook. Dried food on the dishes is more difficult to wash, which means that much more water is consumed. Soak dishes with dried food for 15 minutes in a sink with water and detergent, and then you can easily wash it with a small amount of water.

1. Use toilets with a half-flush function. With a normal drain, 6 liters of water are consumed, and in the "semi-drain" mode - only 3 liters.

Advice:

If you slightly under-tighten the tap and leave a small trickle dripping, you can collect enough water in reserve for free, the counters do not take into account such drops.

Olga Nikitina

Reading time: 4 minutes

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From a primitive necessity, the economical use of water for domestic purposes has become a kind of social trend. According to the warnings of scientists, water in the next decades can replenish the number of invaluable resources. Among ordinary consumers, there is concern about the ever-increasing tariffs for water supply.

The problem of economical use of water is becoming more and more urgent and worries every person involved in everyday activities - such as bathing, washing hands, washing, and the like.

Here are some ways to save water at home:

• Wash. Laundry in washing machine requires much less water than washing clothes by hand. In addition, you should be aware that machines with vertical loading require large quantity water compared to front-facing washing machines. The drum should be fully loaded to achieve the most efficient use of water.

• Bathing– ideas for ergonomic bathtubs. Very often you can hear that it is much more economical to use not a bath, but a shower. But this is possible only in certain cases. Taking a shower uses much less water than bathing in the bath, but only if the speed of bathing in the shower is very high, and the correct water pressure is set. If a person wants to take a steam bath, it is much more convenient to take a bath of water. Helpers in saving water will be special bathtubs made of materials that retain heat for a long time.
• Water meter installation . Installing a water meter, of course, does not guarantee 100% water savings, but it provides decent savings. family budget. It is unlikely that you will consume the amount of water for which payment is made in the absence of a water meter. In addition, the meter will always warn of cases of hidden water leakage.
• Nozzles for saving water. Relatively inexpensive and in a simple way saving water in the home is the use of water-saving nozzles. Their principle of operation is quite simple - they reduce the flow of water.
• Flushing the toilet. First, you can install a toilet bowl with two modes of water drainage. Secondly, it is enough to put a liter or two-liter bottle of water filled with water into the drain tank. With each drain, this will save the amount of water used. The main thing - pay attention so that the container does not disrupt the operation of the drain mechanism.

• Replacement of conventional faucets in sinks and bathrooms with lever ones. By replacing mixers with levers, significant water savings can be achieved due to faster mixing of cold and hot water. That is, the time interval between obtaining the required water temperature and turning on the tap is significantly reduced - and as a result, unnecessary water consumption is reduced.
• Using sensor mixers. The principle of operation of sensor faucets is that water starts to flow when hands are raised and closes automatically when hands are removed. Reacting to movement, the infrared sensor turns off and turns on the tap automatically. Even more economical use of the device can be achieved by setting the desired water temperature.
• Correct faucets. It should be noted that from three hundred to five hundred liters of water can flow down a trickle in a day.
• Use a glass of water when brushing your teeth or shaving.

• Do not defrost frozen food under the faucet cold water , this will save a huge amount of water.
• Stoppers should be used for washing dishes in the sink. .
• Wash your face in the tub over a bucket or basin . The accumulated water can be used to flush the toilet.
• Purchase of drinking water. If there are natural water sources in the area where you live, do not neglect them. Collect water from wells or pump rooms, this will help save you money.
• Household filter systems. If possible, install at home, although not cheap, but useful household system water filtration, designed for a long period of use. In household stationary filters, the cost of water is lower and more acceptable.

Thanks to these simple tips, you can use water efficiently and save on utility bills.