10 easy-to-follow water saving tips

According to Water Wise, a family of four that uses water wisely will use 282l of water daily versus a not-so-water-wise family of four who will use 775l daily.

This means that a not-so-water-wise family will spend around R451 per month on water, whilst a water-wise family will spend only R49. That’s a massive saving of nearly R5000 per year.

Budget Insurance shares 10 creative yet practical tips to save water:

1. Check all taps and pipes (including those attached to the toilet) for leaks. If no water is being used and your water meter keeps running, there is a leak. A leak of just one drop per second can waste close to 1000 litres of water a month. Report any leaks that aren’t on your property to the authorities.
2. Fitting aerators to the tips of taps limits splashing, and makes it seem like you’re using the same amount of water, whilst actually using less.
3. When cooking, cover pots and pans. This keeps water from evaporating and uses less energy to bring food to a boil.
4. Avoid using water to thaw food, use the fridge to thaw food within a couple of hours instead.
5. There are devices like taps shower heads and even toilets that use less water to do the same job and could save you anything from 30 per cent to 50 per cent in water and money. Investigate these as alternative options.
6. Insulating water pipes limits wastage in waiting for water to heat up. This limits the amount of heat that escapes from water that is in the pipe between the geyser and tap when the tap isn’t in use.
7. Invest in a pool cover, reduce the temperature of your pool and switch off all but the essential pumps that keep the water moving to limit evaporation. Limit pool pump usage to night time.
8. When using washing machines and dishwashers, make sure they’re on the most water-efficient cycles, and avoid pre-washes.
9. Wash your laundry in large loads and use a bucket to collect the greywater. Then, use that grey, soapy water to clean your floors.This will save you about 15 litres of water.
10. Consider long-term “investments” such as dual flush toilet mechanisms and low-flow showerheads.