After weeks without rain, the grass is dry, the ground is cracked and drought has been officially declared in eight areas of England. Water companies are expected to impose restrictions, but what more can people do to limit water use?
How much water should I use?
According to the World Health Organization, people should use at least 20 liters of water per day for basic hygiene, and 50-100 liters should cover basic needs and prevent health problems caused by poor sanitation.
Average consumption in England and Wales is just over. This averaged around 145 litres, but rose to 153 liters a day during the pandemic as people spent more time at home, according to figures from Water UK.
According to Rob Lawson, director at Artesia Consulting, which advises water companies, the figures mask the fact that most people are modest users of around 100 liters a day, and a small number are very heavy users.
The best way to reduce overall consumption is for those who are the biggest users of water to reduce it – although this is not always possible.
How worried should I be about my water usage?
Water consumption uses energy, which will have an impact on household bills. Photo: Maureen McLean/Rex/Shutterstock
Remember: it’s not just your responsibility. Dragan Savic, professor of hydroinformatics at the University of Exeter, points out that around 3-5% of water use occurs at home, with another 5% used by businesses. Most of the water is used in agriculture.
But anyone making small changes can make a huge difference overall. In Germany, consumers successfully reduced their average daily water consumption from 147 to 125 liters between 1990 and 2021 as part of the country’s efforts to combat climate change.
Alison Brown of the University of Manchester believes that people need to rethink the way they think about water consumption. Consider the fact that water use uses energy, which will have an impact on skyrocketing bills as well as carbon emissions, of which 6% is due to water use in homes.
How should I check for leaks?
One of the best ways to reduce your overall water consumption is to detect leaks quickly. Most water companies will provide home visits to help households identify leaks as well as install more water-efficient devices, Lawson says.
Common leaks include cheap dual-flush toilets that leak water into the bowl or from the supply pipe that feeds water into each home.
Small changes in your water consumption can make a big difference. Photo: John Birdsall/Alamy
According to campaign group Waterwise, consumers can detect a slow leak by adding a few drops of food coloring to their toilet bowl, leaving it for an hour without flushing, and if it’s still there at the end, there’s a leak.
Installing a smart meter can also help you keep track of how much water you use. Savic said his research found metered users consumed 17% less water, thanks in part to their ability to quickly identify leaks – a leaking toilet can waste 200-400 liters a day.
He recommends meters that provide instant feedback to smartphones or wall displays to alert users of leaks or overuse.
Brown suggested looking out for leaky faucets and spigots outside your home and finding out who to report them to at workplaces, restaurants, stores and other places.
How often should I shower?
Bathrooms and showers represent the largest water consumption in the home. Photo: Getty/GlowImages
Most people in the UK shower at least once a day, according to a YouGov survey – although dermatologists say it’s not necessary unless you exercise or are exposed to dangerous chemicals and it can be bad for your skin.
According to Waterwise, baths and showers account for the largest water consumption in the home, around a third. Surprisingly, some powerful showers can use more water than a bath, although a short shower (about four minutes) with an efficient aerated showerhead or a low-jet shower is the best option. A typical five-minute shower uses around 50 liters – although a low-flow head only uses 30 – while a full bath uses 80 litres.
“Low-flow shower heads would be my first choice for reducing water use in the home,” says Savich.
Brown recommends people “go back to the habits of our grandparents” and use flannel to cool off or take a quick wash instead of jumping in the shower.
She also suggests channeling your inner free spirit and letting go of our social fixation with purity. Once you’re clean enough to stay healthy, further cleaning doesn’t really help. Her research found that people at festivals “really, really enjoy the luxury of reducing expectations around daily bathing”, and this was something people said they appreciated about working from home during the pandemic as well.
How else can I save water in the bathroom?
A leaky faucet wastes about six liters of water per minute. Photo: Westend61/Getty
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer is not to put bricks in the toilet, which plumbers don’t recommend as they can crumble and damage the structure. Instead, you can request a cistern displacement device free of charge from most plumbing companies, which saves one liter with each flush, or up to 5,000 liters per year.
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the most popular stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to secure our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Toilets account for around 30% of household consumption, although this is much higher for older models, according to Waterwise. Ideally, they should be updated with a split flush button that gives the user a choice of how much water to use.
Savich also suggests turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, washing your hands and shaving to save a “significant” amount of water – a running tap wastes around six liters a minute.
How about washing dishes and laundry?
Washing clothes by hand uses much less water than a washing machine. Photo: Matthew Ashmore/Stockimo/Alamy
Look for a water-saving model when buying dishwashers and washing machines, fill both as much as you can and use the eco mode.
For dishwashers, avoid pre-rinsing dishes (not necessary). If you wash by hand, use a bucket to collect and reuse the water. A survey of Which? estimates that dishwashers are on average four times more water efficient than hand washing at a service station.
Washing clothes by hand uses much less water, around eight liters per bowl and 30 liters for each tap wash, compared to an average of 50 liters per washing machine cycle (although this depends on the model). If the thought of washing clothes by hand makes you cringe, consider washing your clothes less often – they will last longer and are more sustainable.
How can I take care of my garden?
Try using old bath water to refresh wilted flowers in your garden. Photo: Tara Moore/Getty
As droughts increase, there is a growing backlash against water-intensive symbols of suburban status like manicured lawns and thirsty plant species like begonias.
If you’re reluctant to part with them, try reusing old bathwater (though not on fruits and vegetables), capturing rainwater in a water tank (some companies will subsidize your purchase), and using hydrogels, mulch and bark to reduce evaporation and watering cans.
Waterwise says people shouldn’t water their lawn when it turns brown – it will quickly turn green again when it rains and save you using 12 baths of water an hour with a hose or sprinkler. Check the weather forecast—if rain is coming, your plants can wait—and water in the early morning or late afternoon to minimize evaporation.
Does my hot tub/paddling pool need to come out?
Emptying and filling a kiddie pool every day for a week can use up to 3,700 liters of water. Photo: Denis Closon/Rex Features
It’s tempting to cool off during a heatwave in a kiddie pool, but remember that hoses are banned in many parts of the country. Severn Trent Water warns that emptying and filling a children’s pool every day for a week can use up to 3,700 liters of water, the equivalent of 102 showers.
As a general rule outside of drought periods, if you must use a paddling pool, fill it halfway, hold the water for three days, then use it again in the garden.
Hot tubs have been a popular impulse buy during the pandemic, but Brown says that means more households have “incredibly water-intensive structures sitting in their backyards.”
The Hot Tubs and Swim Spa Company estimates that a small hot tub can hold around 6,592 liters of water, while a larger family hot tub can require 11,365 liters – more than 100 times the recommended daily consumption level.
Overall usage depends on how often you change the water—recommendations range from one to six months.
It would be best for everyone to use public swimming pools and baths instead, but 600 have been closed in the past three years. Brown believes that affordable access to swimming should increasingly be considered a public health priority, along with improving water quality in wild swimming areas.
Add Comment