Snub the tub
If everybody in a four person family replaced one bath a week with a 5 minute shower, you could save between £5 and £15 per year off your energy bill. So, opt for short, refreshing showers on a daily basis and keep baths to a minimum.
Fill 'em up!
Make sure that your dishwashers and washing machines are full before putting them on and always use the most water and energy efficient settings. When it's time to replace your appliance, look for Energy Saving Recommended logo. Products with this logo will save both energy and water.
Suds law
Using a bowl to wash up rather than leaving the hot tap running could save around £25 a year on a household's gas bills, if you wash up twice a day. If you must rinse, wash up or prepare vegetables in the sink, use cold water where possible and don't keep the tap running!
Go off the boil
Only boil as much water as you need to avoid unnecessarily heating water you won't even use!
Turn it off
A running tap wastes over 6 litres of water a minute so turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face and use cold water where you don’t need hot.
Don’t be a drip
A dripping tap can waste over 5,000 litres of water a year so make sure your taps are properly turned off and change washers promptly when taps start dripping.
Make it go further
Where possible try and reuse unused water, for example pour your left over glasses of water on houseplants and avoid wasting water from running taps whilst waiting for hot water.
Get your butt in gear
Your roof collects tens of thousands of litres of rainwater each year, which then just runs straight into the drains, so invest in a water butt and use the water to water your garden, houseplants and wash your car. Rainwater is also better for plants than tap water.
Visit Scottish Waters website for special offers on water butts
Bucket the trend
Avoid jet washes and energy wasting auto car washes. Use the water (preferably from your water butt) to wash your car using a good old bucket and sponge!
For more information about how you can use water wisely in and around your home and garden visit www.scottishwater.co.uk/savewater
