With temperatures soaring, we’re turning our attention to water use.
The average person uses 150 litres of water per day. Cumulatively, we use about 14 billion litres of water per day in the UK, and will need 4 billion more by 2050, while the resilience of London’s water supply diminishes.
Here are a few do-able tips for saving water, to help us all play a part (and some do-not-ables!) …
DO …
- Install a water meter … so you know!
- Shower (and keep to 4 minutes): swapping one weekly bath for a shower will save 4,000 litres of water annually and a shower can use between 6 and 45 litres per minute. Look into installing an eco shower head
- When it comes to upgrading kitchen appliances, choose water-efficient options. Check out Which? Magazine’s Eco Buy recommendations and Ethical Consumer magazine’s thoroughly researched eco-comparisons
- Eat local and seasonal food and reduce your meat and dairy consumption, as meat generally has a higher water footprint than cereals and vegetables
- Get a water butt or two to collect rainwater from your drainpipes to water your garden with, and choose plants that are drought resistant
- Adhere to hosepipe bans and when not in place use a spray gun, which reduces water use by up to 50%. A hosepipe can use up to 1,000 litres of water an hour! Consider plant water saving gels too, water in the morning and evening, when evaporation is minimised and ideally use a watering can, which is more accurate for aiming water at the roots of plants rather than the leaves
- Only run full washing machine and dishwasher loads (this will also save you an average of £11 per year – every little helps)
- Wash up in a bowl, rather than the full sink, and reuse the water in the garden
- Maintain your appliances to improve efficiency and reduce water wastage: fix leaky taps, descale shower heads to maintain pressure. A leak of just one drip per second can amount to 15 litres of wasted water per day, and an increase of 6% on your annual water bill
- Don’t throw your veg or pasta water – use it for stock, cooled for your houseplants, or to boil further produce
- Only fill your kettle with the amount you need, saving water and energy
- Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth (up to 6 litres of water per minute saved) and collect the cold water for your plants, as you wait for hot water tap to heat up
- Install a tap aerator onto your existing taps, which reduces the amount of water coming out, without affecting the wash or rinse effect. They can also reduce splashing and could help you save up to 40 litres of water a day. And take a look at flow regulators for taps and showers
- Go for low-flush options for your toilet, or install a cistern displacement device, which reduces water being literally flushed down the toilet (the second highest use of water in the home after showering). Inflate, pop into your toilet cistern and save up to two litres every time you flush. Or make your own!
- Sign up for Waterwise’s 2025 Water Night in October: an evening of collective action for water conservation
DON’T …
- Don’t flush anything apart from loo paper down the toilet
- Don’t put oil and fat down the sink, as this can cause blockages
- Avoid using household cleaning products and other chemicals that are ‘hazardous to aquatic life’
- Don’t abrasively scrub away at non-stick pans – these can be significant sources of PFAS/PFCs
- Avoid covering your outdoor spaces with hard paving or artificial grass – even a small amount of grass or soil can help reduce the flow of run-off water to your local rivers and reduce pressure on drains during heavy rain
- Avoid using chemical fertilisers and pesticides in your garden
With many thanks to Ecocounts, Eden Project and Energy Saving Trust for the information
Further reading:
Waterwise for information, projects, campaigns and water efficiency training courses
