With the UK said to be heading towards another heatwave next month and a potential hosepipe ban around the corner for some parts of the country, saving water is likely to go back to the top of the agenda next month. The cost of living crisis is bringing into sharp focus the amount of money we spend on utilities, and the half of UK households who have a water meter are already looking at ways to cut back on their bills.
There has never been a better time to save water in the home and social media websites such as TikTok are full of water-saving tips around the home, some of them ranging from simple ideas while others require you to install new fixtures and fittings. With this in mind, a bathroom design expert has revealed whether hacks that claim to cut down on your water usage and your utility bills actually work and has come up with some suggestions of his own.
Matthew Besley, a bathroom design expert from Bathroom Supastore looked at the top viewed water-saving tips on TikTok, gave his analysis of whether the tips would work or not and has come up with some suggestions of his own.
Read more: Old-fashioned money-saving tips – how many do you do?
Using a duel flush toilet
With over 6000 likes, a video from @thatpropertyguy suggests using a duel flush system with your toilet to cut down on your water usage. Many modern toilet systems come with a duel flush option as standard, but many users don’t know how much of a difference they can make to water usage in the home. The large flush can use six to nine litres at a time, whereas the small flush uses less water, coming in at three to four litres. Using the correct flush could save you 50-60% of the water every use.
Matthew said the hack makes sense and can save you both water and cut down on your water bills. “With the bathroom being one of the most used rooms in the home, naturally there is going to be a lot of wasted water. The hack of installing a duel flush system or simply knowing when to use the different flushes is a simple way of saving water and money. If you have an old toilet system that doesn’t have a duel flush system and you can’t afford to replace your toilet, another alternative is to use a Save-a-Flush style bag that replaces some of the water in your cistern so you use less water per flush.” You can order a Save-A-Flush bag for free here.
Using a bathwater barrier
Bathtime for most parents can be a nightmare when you think about how much water and money is being wasted as you need to fill a full bath. TikTok user @nannykellybb recommends using a bath water barrier so you don’t need to fill your entire bath for your small children. With an average bath using around 100 litres of water it can be a giant waste of resources as no small child will need to fill the length of the bath. A bath barrier can be set so just enough room is given to the child and it requires less water to fill. Using a bath barrier could save you 50 litres per bath. It’s not cheap – the average price seems to be around £35-£40, but if you plan on having more children, it could pay for itself over time.
Mathew said “The bath barrier is a great idea, especially when we recommend using showers over baths to save on water but we know showers aren’t an option for small children. Bath barriers are removable and can be adjusted too until your children no longer need them. A fantastic hack for saving money and water.”
Using low-flow fixtures and fittings
With over 1800 likes, TikTok user @remotely_interesting shared a hack of using water-saving disks to cut down on water usage when using your shower.
While taking a shower is more water efficient than running a bath, these little discs claim to cut down on water usage by a further 48%, making the shower the ultimate choice for those looking to cut down on water usage. Mathew said: “Cutting the flow of water to your shower is a great way of cutting back on water waste and will save you on your energy bill. Water-saving disks are very cheap and can be installed with a little bit of knowledge but if you don’t want to fit these disks into your shower yourself then you can opt for something called low flow fixtures.”
“Low flow fixtures as the name would suggest reduce the flow of water coming out of your fixtures and as a result reduce water wastage. You can purchase low flow taps, shower heads and even toilets.” Northumbria Water will send you low flow fixtures for your taps and shower as part of its free Water Saving Kit. For more details, see here.
Additional water-saving tips.
Mathew said: “Installing fixtures and fittings in your bathroom that are designed to reduce water usage is always a good idea if you want to save money at home, but you don’t always have to call in the plumber to save water in your home. By being a little more thoughtful you can reduce the water usage in your home and save money in the process. For example, when brushing your teeth only use the tap to clean your brush and to clean the sink after use rather than leaving it running. If you brush your teeth for two minutes and let the tap run you could use 12 litres of water. Only using the tap to clean your brush and the sink will use a fraction of that.”
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Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/save-water-money-northumbrian-free-24614743