Hot weather inevitably leads to water shortages in the UK, especially after such hot summers like the one just past. These tips will help to reduce your water consumption at a time where it is really needed, and if you implement them year-round, they could also lead to much lower water bills!

What should I avoid doing?

Hosepipe bans, while an inconvenience for avid gardeners, ensure that hundreds of litres of water are not used when only a few would be necessary. Try instead to use watering cans (especially on areas like flower beds) to limit the amount of water that is spread over the garden. Be assured that the grass, while looking dry and brown, will become green again once it rains, and doesn’t need additional watering.

Also try to avoid taking long showers which, although tempting to cool down, use between ten and twenty litres of water a minute. Have a go at timing your average shower length and then shave a minute or two off the time. Also in the bathroom, avoid flushing anything other than toilet paper down your toilet, as it usually requires more water to get it through the pipes, and if you have a dual-flush toilet, always try to use the lowest setting first.

What can I adapt to save water?

Try using a cistern displacement device, which most water companies provide free of charge. This displaces around a litre of water in the cistern of your toilet, meaning it flushes with one litre of water less (which mostly isn’t needed anyway).

In the kitchen, always try to run the dishwasher on a full load of dishes; wash up any that you need immediately with a little water and washing up soap. If your dishwasher has an ‘eco’ setting, try this out, as you may find that it gives the same results while using less water!

Better still, try to get into the habit of washing kitchen items by hand, to save needing to use the dishwasher at all. Remember to always fill up your sink with water to clean your dishes instead of letting the water run continuously, as this saves both water and soap.

What about drinking water?

In hot weather, this is the most important use of water! If you only want to drink very cold water, try putting a full bottle or jug in the fridge, as this prevents wasting water while you wait for the tap to run cold.

Only put what you need into the kettle, as this avoids the water becoming stagnant and being thrown away, or boiled several times, which wastes energy!