The fourth Green Tips Advent Calendar window opens to use less water, which can be an easy process. The smallest changes can make a huge difference overtime.
Today’s Green Tip comes via Freddie Harris from Wellie Wombles:
‘When washing the dishes and running the hot tap into water.
Fill a jug first until runs hot. Use the water for your next brew’
Now there’s an idea and simple to do! Here are some other useful tips for saving water from Water UK:
- Using a lid on a saucepan cuts down the amount of water lost in steam, so you needn’t use as much. Plus, your food will cook quicker!
- Try washing dark clothes in a colder wash. This saves both water and energy – and it will help keep your clothes their colour.
- Don’t over-do it! Only boiling the water needed in kettles could save the UK more than £1 million a week.
- Fill it up! If you have a dishwasher, try to fill it up before putting it on – wasted space is wasted water. Most dishwashers have efficiency modes, use yours if you can!
- Use a bucket of water, or a trigger-release hose to improve water efficiency when you’re washing your car.
- Watering your garden in the morning or evening, when temperatures are low, can reduce evaporation levels considerably.
- Can’t be convinced by a shower? By running your bath just one inch shallower, you can save around 5 litres of water.
- Put a large bottle or jug into the fridge to ensure cold water is available instantly. Waiting for taps to run cold can waste more than 10 litres every day.
- Reuse is a great way to save both water and money. If you wash up in a bowl, you can use the water for houseplants.
Did you know that around 25% of your energy bill comes from heating water? So using less water can help cut down on fuel bills too! Here are some more Green Tips for using less water, this time from Friends of the Earth:
- Save 6 litres of water a minute by turning off your tap while you brush your teeth.
- Every minute you spend in a power shower uses up to 17 litres of water . Set a timer to keep your showers short, sweet and water-saving.
- Washing a full machine load of clothes uses less water and energy than 2 half-loads . This means lower bills as well as saving water.
- Installing water butts saves up to 5,000 litres of water a year . And your plants will thank you for rainwater rather than treated tap water.
- The average UK household uses about 30% of all water used to flush the toilet . Modern dual-flush systems save huge amounts of water. They use just 6 litres – or 4 with a reduced flush – much less than the 13 litres for each old-style single flush.
- Got a dishwasher? Fill it up completely each time you run it and you’ll use less water than you would doing the dishes by hand. Yes, even if you’re using a washing-up bowl.
- Steam your food to cut water usage and retain more of the natural nutrients.
- If you do boil, try using the leftover water as a tasty stock for soups. Or let it cool and use it to water plants.
Thank you Freddie for your Green Tip! Please send us your green tips and we will add your tip to our Advent Calendar. Email info@wellingboroughecogroup.org.uk, message us via messenger, or call/text/WhatsApp 07311 705705.