How much money are your leaky faucets and toilets costing you? And how much water are they wasting?

I asked Karen Wirth, the education and outreach coordinator for EPA’s WaterSense program, why we should bother to fix leaky faucets when it can be such a pain, and expensive, too, if you need to call a plumber. Here’s what she had to say (and I think it’s pretty convincing):

You might be able put up with the occasional drip-drip-drip after you turn off the water from your morning shower. Or think nothing of having to jiggle the handle after you flush to quiet your old toilet.

But these easy-to-fix leaks could be wasting more than 10,000 gallons of water each year—what you use to wash 270 loads of laundry—and worse yet, adding 10 percent to your water bill.

Maybe you’re intimidated by the thought of tackling leaks at home, or think it will be expensive. But in many cases, repairs don’t require a major investment or a plumbing license.

Take toilets, for example. Leaks are usually easy to hear. You can also identify silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank at the back of your toilet. Wait 10 minutes. If color appears in the bowl, you have a leak. (Make sure you flush afterward to avoid staining!)

In many cases, a rotting or faulty rubber toilet flapper is the culprit, and can be easily purchased for a few dollars at any hardware store and installed without tools. A running or broken toilet may be a larger problem and may require a licensed plumber; HomeAdvisor estimates that hiring a plumber to fix a toilet can cost $120 to $190.

But if you take into account the fact that a running toilet can waste as much as 21,600 gallons of water per month and cost your family more than $2,000 extra in annual water charges, that’s a small time and money investment for the payback. Consider using the Green Plumbers® locator to find a professional who has completed accreditation training in environmental issues and water-efficient technology.

EPA’s Fix a Leak Week

To inspire you to spring into action to make your home leak-free, EPA’s WaterSense® program has declared March 16 through 22, 2015, Fix a Leak Week. Here are three easy steps you can take this week to make leaks less of a drain on our natural resources—and YOUR Green Purse:

1. Check. Start your leak check by looking at your January or February water bill. If your winter monthly use was higher than 12,000 gallons for a family of four, you probably have a serious leak. You can also check your water meter (it’s usually outside the house) before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the reading has changed, something’s leaking.

2. Twist. Over the course of a year, a faucet that’s leaking just one drip per second can waste the amount of water needed to take more than 180 showers! Twist and tighten pipe connections with a wrench, or use pipe tape to seal where showerheads are shedding. To save even more water without a noticeable difference in flow, twist on a WaterSense labeled faucet aerator in your bathroom.

3. Replace. If you can’t fix the leaks with your own DIY skills, it might be time to replace the fixture. Look for the WaterSense label (above left) associated with toilets, showerheads, and bathroom sink faucets and accessories that are independently certified to use at least 20 percent less water and perform as well as or better than standard models. That means you won’t waste time double-flushing or waiting for a weak spray to wash your hair.

Need more inspiration? Visit the WaterSense website to learn more about how to find and fix leaks or watch this simple animated short video. And if you do take the plunge and repair a leaky fixture, tweet a photo with #IFixLeaks to show your skills at saving water and money!

Karen Wirth is EPA’s WaterSense education and outreach coordinator. She has worked in a variety of program areas at EPA, focusing for the past 17 years on water issues.

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The post Find & Fix Leaky Faucets & Toilets Before Drips Drain Your Wallet appeared first on Big Green Purse.

I’m a big fan of WaterSense, the program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that inspires companies to produce appliances and gadgets that help people like you and me save money. When I needed to replace my toilet last year, I made sure it met the WaterSense standards, and when I’ve purchased water timers for my garden, they’ve been WaterSense models, too. This month, WaterSense is focusing its attention on showers, since conventional showers waste so much H2O. I invited Karen Wirth, EPA’s WaterSense Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, to explain why it makes sense to take a WaterSense shower. Here’s what she had to say:

The shower is a place where we wake up, wind down, or just have a little “me” time in an otherwise hectic day. But did you know it’s also one of the most common places indoors where you might be wasting water, energy, and money?

Showering is one of the leading ways we use water at home, accounting for nearly 17 percent of residential indoor water use. The average family uses about 40 gallons of water daily in the shower alone. That adds up to nearly 1.2 trillion gallons used nationwide each year just for showering. Shaving just one minute off your shower time can save more than 500 gallons of water annually, as well as the same amount of electricity as it takes to run your laptop all year!

In 2006, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created WaterSense® as a label for high-efficiency plumbing products that not only use less water, but work as well (or better) than their water-guzzling counterparts. What’s more, we require products that earn the label to be independently certified to our rigorous criteria for both water savings and performance.

Take showerheads, for example. EPA requires WaterSense-labeled models to be tested for both spray force and water coverage in addition to water savings, so you can enjoy a relaxing and satisfying shower knowing you’re saving resources and doing your part for the environment. In other words, you’ll shower better.

And don’t forget, it takes energy to heat our shower water. Let’s say you take an eight-minute shower. If you’re using a WaterSense-labeled showerhead, every time you shower, you’ll save four gallons of water, plus the electricity it takes to light a 60-watt bulb for eight hours. For a whole family, replacing just one showerhead with a WaterSense labeled model can save 2,900 gallons of water per year, or the amount of water it takes to wash more than 70 loads of laundry! The average American family can also save enough energy each year to power their home for 13 days, and cut annual water and energy costs by more than $70.

In places like California, which is experiencing its worst drought in decades, saving water is especially important. Across the country, if every U.S. home replaced its showerheads with WaterSense-labeled models, we could save more than 260 billion gallons of water annually. WaterSense-labeled models are available in a wide variety of styles and price points, so you’re sure to find one that works for you. And, best of all, you’ll be making a simple change for the better.

In honor of EPA’s Shower Better Month this October, why not give yourself a green upgrade with a WaterSense-labeled showerhead? Many water utilities are offering free showerhead replacements or rebates on WaterSense labeled models; check out EPA’s website. Money isn’t all you will save, but it sure is a good start!

RELATED POSTS:

Ten Ways to Save Water Outside and Cut Your Water Bill by 50%

10 No-Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely.

Meet My New Water-Saving Toilet

The post Are You Taking A WaterSense Shower? appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Could you live on 4 liters of water a day? That’s the equivalent of about a gallon. And when it comes down to it, that’s just not very much water. Unfortunately, that’s about all the clean water millions of people in the world have access to – not just for drinking or washing or cooking, but for everything they do. 4 liters. 1 gallon. DigDeep.org thinks that’s wrong – and so do I. That’s why I agreed to take DigDeep’s 4Liters Challenge. I want to help them raise awareness — and money — so more people can have access to clean, safe water.

To take the challenge, I filled up four liter-size bottles of water and used them over the course of a 24-hour period. In doing so, here’s what I realized:

* I would use more than the water I had all day to flush my toilet just once (but most people usually flush their toilets once an hour – you definitely couldn’t do that on 4 liters a day).

* I could wash my face and hands only twice in the day. I could wet a wash cloth and wipe off my body, but definitely not take a shower. Shampoo my hair? No.

* On normal days, I use just about 4 liters of water every day to make a pot of coffee, 4 or 5 cups of tea, wash the fruit I eat for breakfast and the salad ingredients I eat for lunch. During the Challenge, that could have used up all the water I had, so I cut out the coffee, made only two cups of tea, and wiped off my fruit instead of washing it.

* Once I used my water for tea, coffee, and food washing, there was no water left over to boil water for rice or pasta, to make soup, or just to drink with some ice and a squeeze of lemon and lime.

* There definitely was not enough water to wash dishes, let alone run the dishwasher.

* Laundry? Forget about it. Housecleaning? Nope.

* Lawn? Garden? No water for watering outdoors or in.

You’ll notice that the list of what I COULD NOT  do on 4 liters of water a day is much longer than what I could do. Lucky for me, I suffered this water scarcity for only one day.

But what if this were your reality day after day after day?

For millions of people, it is. DigDeep is trying to change that. The organization defends access to water as a “basic human right,” says the organization’s energetic founder, George McGraw. DigDeep also helps communities build sustainable water projects that improve water access for the people who need it. And of course, DigDeep runs the 4liters challenge to educate water-rich people like you and me about this precious resource.

I hope you’ll take the 4liters challenge, and I also hope you’ll help support DigDeep financially. The group is asking for a small $40 tax-deductible contribution, but you don’t have to donate to participate in the challenge.

By the way, while you’re at it, invite your friends to participate, too.

Sign up to take the challenge or contribute here.

DON’T MISS THESE OTHER HELPFUL POSTS

Ten Ways to Save Water Outside and Cut Your Water Bill by 50%

Ten No-Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely

Meet My New Water-Saving Toilet

The post Take Dig Deep’s 4Liters Challenge! appeared first on Big Green Purse.