Water Saving Tips for Your Home That Conserve Energy

							Water Saving Tips for Your Home That
Conserve Energy
By: Sarah Bernheim



                                                                 Following water saving tips at home is
                                                                 an important part of water
                                                                 conservation. Tips that save energy as
                                                                 well as H2O are just as welcome.
                                                                 Some conservation strategies will not
                                                                 only lower your water bills but will
                                                                 reduce your monthly energy bills too.
                                                                 Savvy consumers know that
                                                                 conservation isn’t just about sacrifice
                                                                 but also about savings. These four
                                                                 effective conservation ideas can put
                                                                 green in your pocket and can help
                                                                 green up the environment as well.

1. Energy-Efficient Water Heaters

When looking for water conservation ideas that also save energy, think hot. Keeping gallons and gallons
of H2O heated around the clock just so that it’s available when wanted is a water-wasting approach, but
that’s the way that conventional heaters work. Heaters older than ten years are even less energy
efficient. Because they are designed to deliver heat only on demand, tankless or semi-tankless heaters
are far more energy efficient and can save you 10 to 20 percent on your heating bills.

2. Affordable Water-Heater Strategies

If your budget won’t accommodate a new heater, wrap your existing model up in an affordable water-
heater blanket and save up to 9 percent on heating bills. If you lower the heater’s temperature from 130
degrees to 120 degrees, you can knock up another 5 percent off your monthly bill, or about $100 each
year. Consider insulating hot pipes that run from the heater with foam for additional savings. With
insulated pipes, you won’t have to wait as long for hot H2O to reach faucets, showerheads and
appliances.

3. Energy-Saving Appliances
Heating H2O for domestic usage accounts for up to 15 percent of an average household’s monthly
energy bills. Choosing appliances that conserve hot water saves energy too. Opt for front-loading
clothes washers over top-loaders. They not only conserve more H2O and energy but extract more
moisture from clothes during the rinse cycle as well, reducing time spent in an energy-guzzling dryer.

Operating a dishwasher and washer only when they’re full can save you up to 1,000 gallons of H2O each
month. When shopping for a dishwasher, look for models with soil sensors that automatically adjust the
amount of hot water in accordance to how dirty the dishes are, saving both energy and H2O. Skip the
hot-water cycle altogether and save around $60 each year. Tests done by the nation’s leading consumer
publication indicated that pre-rinsing dishes before loading them into a dishwasher is unnecessary and
wastes up to 6,500 gallons per year.