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...We're trying to cut our water use to save water
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save 6 litres of water per minute.
Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush. You can get one of these from your water provider.
Take a shorter shower. Showers can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute. Consider getting an aerated shower head, which combines water and air, or inserting a regulator in your shower, which puts an upper limit on flow rates.
Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher – this cuts out unnecessary washes in between.
Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres of water a year.
Install a water butt to your drainpipe and use it to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows. A water butt can collect around 5,000 litres a year.
Water your garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. A hosepipe can use as much as 1,000 litres of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and also save water.
Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This will mean you do not have to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.
Install a water meter. When you're paying your utility provider for exactly how much water you use, laid out in an itemised bill, there's an incentive to waste less of the stuff.
Invest in water-efficient goods when you need to replace household products. You can now get water-efficient showerheads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other water-saving products. For more information visit the Waterwise websit
Why does saving water matter?
Even though water doesn't appear in short supply in the UK, using less water actually means you are:
Reducing energy use. Cleaning waste water (or 'grey water', as it's called) is an energy-intensive process; so is heating the hot water that comes out of your taps.
Saving money. If you're on a water meter, these tips above could save you a bob or two.
save water in school, install aerators and water efficient plumbing fixtures. Detect and repair leaks at schools so that wastage of water will get reduce. Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. ... Encourage students to use refillable water bottle and educate them to pour left water onto the garden
1. Set up a water action plan Ongoing and successful water savings depend on a coherent, long-term water action plan with well-defined and achievable targets. Bring together a water team of staff and pupils who will be the monitors and drivers of water conservation in the school. With the team, conduct a full water audit to identify all the areas of water consumption and the potential for reductions. With the information gathered, guidelines can be set for each area around the best ways to save and conserve water, with a range of low-flow technologies and products identified, and the potential savings from each. 2. Engage with everyone Staff, students and parents will be enthusiastic advocates of water savings with the right impetus so be active about engaging with them. Post eye-catching stickers and signs to promote water conservation. Keep them regularly updated on water use, with the pre-campaign audit as a benchmark and display the progress on bulletin boards and other school displays. You can also organise school and community events to focus on water conservation and wastewater issues. 3. Repair water leaks Encourage the team of monitors to be vigilant, turning off running taps and showers while reporting leaks. A single leaking toilet can waste more than 50 gallons of water every day while a dripping tap or shower head wastes up to 1,000 gallons a week.
4. Go low-flow Eco taps reduce water consumption by over 50% with no negative effect on quality and if current taps need to stay in place then low-cost tap aerators that achieve a similar effect can be considered. If the budget allows, fit sensor taps. An eco shower is one of the most effective ways of reducing water consumption, saving 50% on water usage with no loss of quality. There are added benefits of going low flow because using less water should cut the amount of energy needed to heat the water and cut carbon emissions. 5. Focus on toilets The best low flow toilets use up to 84% less water and 80% less energy on average than standard models while other models are duel flush so users can opt for a shorter flush. If full-scale refitting is not feasible, then the use of displacement bags in the cistern helps to substantially reduce water usage. Maintenance programmes are essential.
6. Urinal Upgrades Within budget constraints, consider the replacement of standard urinals with waterless versions or fit efficient automatic flush controls on urinals. Ensure the controls can be turned off during out-of-school hours and during holidays.
7. Reduce water used in food preparation
Replace standard pre-rinse sprayers with low-flow models and sweep floors and walkways instead of using water when possible. Turn down hot water temperatures for dishwashing or cleaning and promote full dishwasher use – dishwashers use 6 gallons per load while hand washing uses 3 gallons a minute. Where feasible, purchase water-efficient dishwashers and washing machines.
Training staff to avoid leaving taps running continuously where possible is another major benefit, by pre-soaking of utensils and dishes, for example. Washing fruit and vegetable in the sink rather than under a full flowing tap also make substantial savings.
8. Landscape school grounds Use mulch around plants and trees to reduce evaporation and weeds and preserve existing plants for shade and moisture retention to reduce the need for irrigation. Plant trees, drought-resistant plants and shrubs, especially on hillsides or banks. 9. Plugs and bowls Simple and effective savings can be also achieved by buying plugs and washing up bowls for all the sinks in classroom and art rooms. The temptation always is to let taps run and having bowls and plugs are a reminder to conserve water. Encourage art staff and students to rinse brushes in containers rather than under a running tap. 10. Swimming Pools To prevent evaporation and so minimise the need for refilling, always cover swimming pools when not in use. And It’s very effective to reduce the amount of backwashing from a daily regime to just once every two or three days. Backwash systems that collect the water are ideal, as this can be re-used in the grounds and elsewhere. The use of push-button poolside showers is also a very effective way of optimising water use. Eco Taps Domestic and commercial use from Kitchen, Basin and Bath Mixers to Sensor and Push Button Taps - a wide range from the very best brands Toilets and Urinals A range of Toilets and Urinals designed to reduce your water and energy bills Eco Showers Including complete systems to Hand Showers, Fixed Shower Heads, Thermostatic Valves, Hoses and accessories - all from major brands Tap Aerators and Flow Restrictors The easiest & cheapest way to cut your water consumption by up to 60%
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