Conducting a Home Water Audit
A home water audit is an assessment of how much water is used and how much water
can be saved in the home. Conducting a water audit involves calculating water use
and identifying simple ways for saving water in the home.
What are the benefits of conducting a water audit? Conducting a water audit
can help you save money by reducing your home water bill (and sewer bill if you
are connected to a public sewer system). Conducting a water audit will make you
aware of how you use your water and help to identify ways you can minimize water
use by implementing certain conservation measures. It is possible to cut your water
usage by as much as 30 percent by implementing simple conservation measures and
without drastically modifying your lifestyle.
How do I calculate water usage in my home?
It is important to realize that water use throughout the year often varies with
the season. Most people use more water in the warmer months for gardening, washing
cars, and other outdoor uses. If you conduct your water audit in the winter or fall,
you should still consider the additional water you use in the summer months. The
American Water Works Association (AWWA) estimates that the average indoor water
use per person is 94 gallons of water per day; this does not take into account outdoor
water use (watering lawns, washing cars).
Calculating water use from your water bill
If you obtain water from a community water system, you probably receive a water
bill that tells you how much water you use. Many water utilities provide customers
with bills that contain information regarding the amount of water consumed and average
daily consumption during the billing period. If the average daily consumption is
not provided, you can calculate it by dividing the total amount of water used by
the number of days in the billing period. Determine whether your water is measured
in cubic meters (m³), cubic feet (ft³), gallons (gal), or liters (L) and
convert to gallons.
For converting into gallons, use the following conversion factors:
m³ x 264 = gal
ft³ x 7.48 = gal
L x 0.264 = gal
There are several conversion tools available on the Internet that can be used to
make your calculations easier.
www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm or
www.mathconnect.com/volume1.htm
Calculating water use with a meter
If your water bill does not provide water consumption data, then you can read your
water meter to obtain this information. Water meters measure the total amount of
water used in your home and are usually located at the property line or on the house.
The meter may measure in cubic meters, cubic feet, gallons, or liters. To obtain
your water use over the course of a 24-hour day, read your meter at the same time
on two consecutive days. You may want to measure water use for several days and
then calculate a daily average.
Estimating water use without a meter
If you do not have a water meter you can estimate your water use. It will be important
to measure all water use, indoor and outdoor, to accurately estimate the quantity
of water used. To determine how much you consume water in your home it is necessary
to measure water flow from each fixture in your house:
- To calculate flow for faucets (indoor and outdoor) and showerheads, turn faucet
to the normal flow rate that you use, and hold a container under the tap for 10
seconds and measure the quantity of water in the container. Multiply the measured
quantity of water by 6 to calculate the gallons per minutes (gpm).
- To calculate flow for toilets, turn off the water supply to the toilet, mark the
water line on the inside of the tank, flush, and then fill tank with water from
tap. Measure the volume of water that is required to fill water back up to the water
line mark on the tank and record this number. Turn water on to the toilet to resume
normal use.
- If your appliances or fixtures are relatively new, you may be able to obtain the
flow rate from the manufacturer's specifications. Otherwise, use the following averages:
- Washing machine - 41 gal per use
- Dishwashing machine - 9 gal per use
Next, measure how many times per day or how many minutes each day you use each fixture
or appliance. Multiply the water flow per fixture by the minutes per day the fixture
is used. Multiply the flow average for each appliance by the number of times the
appliance is used each week. Don't forget to include the amount of time you use
outdoor faucets each day. The water audit spreadsheet is a useful tool to evaluate
water use in the home.
How does my water useage rank?
The average citizen uses about 100 gallons of water per day. This includes indoor
as well as outdoor water usage. To calculate the per person daily water usage rate,
divide your daily water usage by the number of people in your home, and then look
at the following chart to rate your water usage.
|
Gallons Per Person Per Day
|
Rank
|
Comments
|
|
< 80 gal/day
|
Excellent
|
Wow! You use water wisely. Please share your conseravtion techniques with
friends and neighbors
|
|
80-100 gal/day
|
Good
|
Good Job! You use less water than the average citizen
|
|
101-120 gal/day
|
Fair
|
You use more water than the average citizen
|
|
>120 gal/day
|
Poor
|
You use a lot of water
|
Home Water Conservation
Water Savings
The amount of savings depends on current water consumption habits, water, sewer
and energy costs, current flow rates of fixtures and flush volumes of toilets, system
pressure, and the amount of water leakage through fittings and toilets. Water can
be conserved by making improvements in the home or by modifying behavior.
Retrofit or Replace Water Fixtures
Water-saving devices are economical and permanent. Low-flow showerheads and faucet
aerators save valuable water and energy used to heat water without requiring changes
in personal water use habits. The following chart highlights how much water can
be conserved by installing water-saving equipment in place of conventional plumbing
fixtures, fittings and appliances.
|
Conventional Fixture/Appliance
|
Water Use (gallons)
|
Water Saving Fixture/Appliance
|
Water Use (gallons)
|
Water Savings (gallons)
|
|
Vintage Toilet*
|
4 - 6 per flush
|
Low Consumption Toilet***
|
1.6 per flush
|
2.4 - 4.4 per flush
|
|
Conventional Toilet**
|
3.5 per flush
|
Low Consumption Toilet***
|
1.6 per flush
|
1.9 gal/flush
|
|
Conventional Showerhead*
|
3-10 per min
|
Low-Flow Showerhead
|
2-2.5 per min
|
0.5 - 8 per min
|
|
Faucet Aerator*
|
3-6 per min
|
Flow Regulating Aerator
|
0.5-2.5 per min.
|
0.5- 5.5 per min
|
|
Top-Loading Washer
|
40-55 per load
|
Front-Loading Washer
|
22-25 per load
|
15 - 33 per load
|
|
* Manufactured before 1978
** Manufactured from 1978 to 1993
*** Manufactured since January 1, 1994
|
Repair All Leaks
A dripping faucet is more than annoying...it is expensive. Even small leaks can
waste significant amounts of water. Hot water leaks are a waste of water and of
the energy used to heat the water. Leaks inside the toilet can waste up to 200 gallons
of water a day. Toilet leaks can be detected by adding a few drops of food coloring
to water in the toilet tank. If the colored water appears in the bowl, the toilet
is leaking. If you have a leaking faucet or toilet, stop pouring money down the
drain and repair it.
How To Save Water In The Bathroom
- When constructing a new home or remodeling your bathroom, install low consumption
(1.6 gal/flush) toilets.
- Place a weighted plastic one-half gallon jug or a toilet dam in the tanks of conventional
toilets to displace and save water with each flush.
- Install low-flow aerators and showerheads. They are inexpensive, easy to install,
and save water and energy.
- Do not let the faucet flow while brushing your teeth or shaving. Use a glass of
water for rinsing teeth.
- Take showers instead of tub baths. Consider bathing small children together.
- If your shower has a single-handle control or shut off valve, turn off the flow
while soaping or shampooing.
- Leaking diverter valves (valves which divert water from the tub spout to the showerhead)
should be replaced.
How To Save Water In The Kitchen And Laundry Room
- Refrigerate a pitcher of drinking water instead of letting a faucet flow until the
water is cold enough to drink.
- Use a dishpan or plug the sink for washing and rinsing dishes. Install a low-flow
aerator on all faucets.
- Do not pre-rinse dishes prior to loading in a dishwasher. Prerinsing is an unnecessary
and wasteful use of water.
- Operate the washing machine and dishwasher only when they are fully loaded.
- Use the proper water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
- When purchasing a washing machine or dishwasher, consider water consumption as well
as energy efficiency. Most manufacturers now provide this information to consumers.
How To Save Water Outside The Home
Watering of lawns and gardens can double normal household water use during the hot,
dry summer months. At standard household water pressures, a garden hose will discharge
up to 10 gallons of water per minute. To apply an inch of water to 1,000 square
feet of lawn or garden requires close to 1,000 gallons of water.
Watering should be limited to gardens, and newly planted lawns and landscaped areas.
Established lawns and landscape plantings will usually survive without watering.
Inadequate watering encourages shallow root growth and increases the risk of mortality.
When water is scarce, your community or individual water supply should be reserved
for your most essential needs.
- Equip your hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
- Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways, steps and sidewalks.
- Water your garden during the coolest part of the day. Do not water on windy days.
- Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to reduce evaporation from the soil surface
and cut down on weed growth.
Tips for the Home Gardener for Efficient Water Use
Water infrequently, deeply, and thoroughly. This will encourage rooting and
greater tolerance to dry spells. Plants send out extra roots in dry conditions to
seek water. Plants often bloom more profusely when stressed, as the natural instinct
to reproduce creates more flowers.
Water responsibly, using correct watering techniques. Water early in the
day, especially as the weather warms, to reduce evaporation loss. Water less often
for longer lengths of time to encourage deep root growth. Be sure your irrigation
system is in proper working condition. If drip irrigation won’t work for you, try
a hand held hose rather than a sprinkler.
Properly condition your soil. Water does not easily penetrate clay soils
and water passes too quickly beyond the root zone of plants in sandy soil. Adding
organic matter to clay and sandy soils will increase the penetrability of clay soils
and the water holding capacity of sandy soils. Claybreaker and Ultra-light soil
amendments are suggested for proper conditioning.
Mulch soil surface. Mulching cuts down on water loss due to evaporation.
A two-inch layer of mulch or compost is recommended. Apply mulches to shrubs, trees,
annuals, vegetable gardens, and even containers.
Shelter container plants. To conserve water, move containers to areas with
partial shade to keep them from drying quickly in hot windy areas.
Install a drip or other water conserving irrigation system. Slow drip and
deep root watering systems can save up to 60% of all water used in garden care.
Professionally installed and maintained irrigation systems will further help conserve
water.
Discourage water competition from weeds. Keep weeds pulled and reduce the
likelihood of them returning by mulching. Consider using landscape fabric between
the soil and your mulch to further reduce weeds.