Saving water in everyday life
Saving water in everyday life
Water plays a vital role in our lives - and has a big impact on our energy bills.
Water is a vital part of our lives - but it has a big impact on our costs. Using water wisely will help you save money on your bills.
Water plays a vital role in our homes. We use it for drinking, washing, and cooking amongst many other things.
This has a big impact on our home energy costs, with 12% of your energy bill going towards heating water. If you live in a rural area without access to the natural gas network, your costs might be even higher. Using water wisely can help you save money on your energy bills and, if you have a hot water cylinder, will increase the water available for those important household tasks.
It's not just about financial savings – reducing water waste helps protect your local water supply and environment too. Hot, dry summers often put rural areas at risk of droughts which impact supply to your home and negatively affects wildlife.
Thankfully, there are lots of simple and practical ways to save water, energy and money in your everyday life. Here are some small steps you can take to save water and make a positive impact on the climate and your energy bills.
By embracing these water-saving practices, you’re not only helping your wallet but also the environment. You can find out more about the importance of saving water on Scottish Water's website.
We are working with Scottish Water to deliver free water-saving packs to eligible households in Scotland. If you have any questions about how to save water at home or would like to order your free water-saving pack, we are here to help. You can speak to one of our friendly advisors by calling us free on 0808 808 2282.
Showers and baths account for around 30% of water use in the average household with most of that being hot water. Making a simple change like shortening your shower to four minutes can make a big difference. A family of four using an immersion heater on an electric off-peak tariff could save around 38,000 litres of hot water and £215 - as well as 376kg of CO2 emissions - every year.
Scottish roofs collect between 45,000-90,000 litres of rainwater each year. Putting all that rainwater to good use is a great way to protect your local supply during the dry summer months. Installing a water butt allows you to collect some of this rainwater to use when gardening. It's also better for plants than tap water as it is a great source of nitrogen which helps them thrive.
One fifth of water use in the average household comes from kitchen taps. Did you know a kitchen tap left running on full flow uses over 12 litres of water a minute? Save this water by using a bowl when washing dishes or vegetables. Why not go even further and try out a tap aerator? It fits on your existing tap and reduces the flow of water, saving you 10,000 litres of water and £56 - as well as 72kg CO2 emissions - a year.
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