Top tips to help you conserve water

With temperatures expected to hit 30C and even higher in some areas, the push is on to conserve our dwindling water supplies.

Here are some tips from Irish Water to help you conserve water:

Leak free

Check that your home is leak free. Check for running overflows and fix any dripping taps, cisterns or pipes.

Don’t let the tap run

Brushing your teeth with the tap running can use up to a staggering 6 litres per minute. Brushing your teeth with the tap off will use a more modest 1 litre of water.

Shower vs. Bath

The average bath uses 80 litres of water compared to an average shower using 49 litres in seven minutes. Switch your bath to a shower for a massive water saving.

Less time

With the average shower using 7 litres of water per minute by turning your five minute shower into four minutes, you could save up to 7 litres of water per day!

Fully loaded

Always ensure your dishwasher and washing machines are fully loaded. A modern washing machine uses approximately 65 litres of water per cycle while a dishwasher uses 20 litres. By ensuring they are fully loaded, not only will you conserve water but you will also reduce your energy bills.

Don’t flush it all away

A third of all water used in the home is flushed down the toilet. Some larger cisterns can continue to work effectively with a smaller flush. Place a displacement device into the cistern (out of the way of moving parts) to save water - a half a brick can work or fill a small plastic bottle with sand and place it in the cistern.