 Water conservation is an essential practice for every green citizen. In addition to saving money on your utility bill, water conservation helps prevent water pollution. The smaller the amount of water flowing through these systems the less likely you are to waste water. Low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home water consumption by as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much as 50%. They are simple to install and inexpensive to purchase.
There are ways to tell if you would benefit from using these items. On your faucets, if an aerator is already installed, it will have its rated flow imprinted on the side. This should read 2.75 gpm (gallons per minute) or lower. An outdated or inefficient aerator will read 2.75 gpm or higher. If it does it’s time for a replacement. If no aerator is installed, check to see if there are threads just inside the tip of the faucet. Most modern faucets are threaded to accept aerators.
For the shower, set a two quart saucepan on the floor of the shower and position it in the middle of the shower stream. With the shower on full blast, count how many seconds it takes to fill the pan. If it takes fewer than 12 seconds, you may want to switch to a low-flow shower head. If you have a low-flow shower head installed, it should read 2.5 gpm or less.
There are two kinds of fixtures. An aerating fixture mixes air into the water stream. This maintains steady pressure so the flow has an even, full shower spray. Because air is mixed in with the water, the water temperature can cool down a bit towards the floor of the shower. Aerating shower heads are the most popular type of low-flow shower head. In a non-aerating fixture, air is not mixed into the water stream. This maintains temperature well and delivers a strong spray. The water flow pulses with non-aerating shower heads, giving more of a massaging-showerhead effect. Low-flow faucet aerators usually cost $5 -$10. Low-flow shower heads range from $8 - $50 depending on features such as flow adjusting dials and designer styling. Hand-held models are more expensive than fixed models.
The switch to these is rather simple. It is a very inexpensive way to sustainability.
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