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Well, one thing is for sure at the moment – we are all spending a lot more time at home. We have had some very hot weather over the past few months which means we are all using more water than usual. In fact, May was the driest month on record in the UK and because of lockdown more people were at home and out in their gardens meaning water usage has soared to record levels.
Saving water and becoming more efficient in the way we use our water not only saves us money in the long run but it also helps to protect our local water habitats and is better for our environment. My family live in Surrey, in the south east of the UK we generally have 50 per cent less rainfall than the rest of the country. By 2080 the population of the south east is expected to increase by half – that's nearly a million extra people who would all need water supplied to their homes for their everyday needs.
As a family of five who live in a flat we don't have a garden of our own to worry about watering but we do try our best not to be wasteful with the water that we use indoors:
Our kitchen area is very compact so we don't have a dishwasher and wash our dishes the old fashioned way, in the sink. This obviously saves us a lot of water as well as electricity. Scrape any leftovers into the food waste bin so they are not going down the drain and avoid leaving the tap running to rinse off plates and cups.
With a teen and a tween who love to have showers every day (sometimes twice) we try and make sure they are limited to four minute showers, not easy I know! Filling a bath uses around 100 litres of water each time so a shower is certainly much more efficient. It is nice to have a bath to relax but maybe save baths for once a week.
This is one we are constantly reminding the kids to do – turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth. This can save 6 litres of water per minute! When we fitted our new sink last year we put in an aerated tap which has lots of tiny holes in the faucet, this separates the water into lots of tiny streams so that air mixes with the water, which in turn increases the water pressure and reduces the amount of water that you need to use. A tap aerator can reduce the flow of water by up to 10 litres per minute.
Our toilet has a dual flush fitted. Basically you can choose whether you need to do a half flush or a full flush after you've used the loo by pushing the bigger or smaller half of the flush button on the top of your toilet. Most modern toilets have these now and they can save over 10 litres per flush!
When the children are at school I can end up doing a load of laundry a day. We haven't needed to do quite as much washing recently but I always make sure I wash a full load at a time and use the most efficient setting at 30 degrees.
My husband works as a school caretaker and they have lots of water butts on the field to collect rainwater. Instead of watering the plants with a hose pipe or sprinkler, use a watering can filled from the water butt.
If like us, you are an SES Water customer, do take a look at the 'GetWaterFit' platform which allows customers to order a whole range of free water saving products and get rewards for their actions. It also provides a calculator which allows you to see how much water you use, how much money could be saved and whether your family could be better off on a water meter.
By using GetWaterFit you can also book a free online water efficiency check to get advice on water saving devices and help with identifying any leaks in the home – a technician doesn't even need to enter your home – you can find more information here.
For lots of other water saving tips visit www.seswater.co.uk/saving
Summer is here let's all do our bit to save water, protect the environment and save money too.