How to Conserve Water & Electricity

Saving water and electricity can save money on your utility bills and also benefits the environment. Saving water reduces pressure on sewage treatment facilities, protects lakes and streams and reduces the overall demand for water. Saving electricity is also beneficial in that it saves energy sources, such as fossil fuels, for the future and reduces emissions from power plants. If you change a few of your daily habits, you can play a role in conserving water and electricity and can save yourself some time and money.

Things You'll Need

• Electrical or duct tape
• Epoxy
• Pipe cutter
• Sweat coupling
• Solder
• Food coloring
• Washers
• Gaskets
• Toilet Flapper

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Instructions

Ways to Conserve Water

• 1

  Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pot of water instead of washing them under a faucet. You can reuse the water to water your plants, too.

• 2

  Check your toilet to see if it leaks by dropping a drop of food coloring into the tank. If food coloring shows up in the bowl after 15 minutes, you have a leak. In this case, replace the toilet flapper (valve seal) or have a plumber replace it. New toilet flappers can be purchased at most hardware stores.

• 3

  Place a plastic bottle filled with water into your toilet tank. This will cause your toilet to use less water with each flush, saving 5 to 10 gallons of water a day, according to the website for Mono Lake in California.

• 4

  Check your faucets, toilets and outside hoses for leaks and check their connections. You can fix many hose leaks with electrical or duct tape. If your faucets or shower heads are leaking, replace worn gaskets and washers to stop excess dripping. You can fix leaky pipes by sealing holes with epoxy or cutting off the damaged section of pipe and soldering on a new pipe coupling.

• 5

  Turn off your faucet when you aren't using it. Fill up a sink when washing dishes instead of letting the water run and don't let the water run while you are brushing your teeth or shaving.

• 6

  Fill a pitcher or bottle of water ahead of time and let it cool in the refrigerator. This way, you won't have to waste water waiting for it to cool down.

Ways to Conserve Electricity

• 7

  Check your doors and windows to make sure there aren't any cracks around them. If there are, invest in weather stripping to conserve heat and air conditioning. Avoid opening and closing doors.

• 8

  Turn off lights, appliances and electronic devices when you're not using them. Invest in fluorescent bulbs to replace incandescent lights -- they use 75 percent less energy and last longer, according to the Texas Power website.

• 9

  Install solar panels and use solar cookers and other solar-powered devices.

• 10

  Insulate your home with at least 50mm of insulation, accord to the Electricity Trust of South Australia. Consider an environmentally friendly insulation such as cotton, wool or newspaper.