Water saving tap aerator
We have reduced our bathroom tap water consumption by hundreds of liters every year by installing an inexpensive water-saving tap aerator.
Most of us understand the importance of saving water so we do our best to close the water taps while not in use and teach our children that water is very valuable and must not be wasted.
Still, as a parent, I have come to realize that very small children (and some adults) may not have yet enough awareness so we need to take a more active role in making sure that water is not being wasted.
Because of the strong water pressure at home, our bathroom tap was using much more water than necessary for just simply cleaning the hands or brushing the teeth. We were wasting water and money!
Standard tap aerator Vs water saving tap aerator
I came across a water-saving tap aerator that claimed to use only one liter of water every 3,8 seconds and had very good reviews so I decided to give it a try.
If you also decide to install a water-saving tap aerator, my advice is to look for aerators that specifically describe the water usage (for example, one liter of water every 5 seconds) and to avoid those which make claims like ‘save up to 30%’.
We recently purchased a water-saving shower head that claimed to save up to 30% of water. Well, it is actually saving us 1% of water so that means that we have wasted 30 euros that we could have used to buy something else.
In any case, the water saver tap aerator has been a great investment: Low cost, easy installation, and big water and money savings.
Standard tap aerator
> Uses 1 liter of water every 6 seconds
> This is the equivalent of 10 liters per minute
> 10 liters per minute x 10 minutes = 100 liters of water per day
> 100 liters of water per day x 220 days per year = 22,000 liters of water per year
> 22,000 liters of water per year x 2 euros per cubic meter of water = 33 euros per year
Note: In Germany are around paying 2 euros per cubic meter of water. Depending on where you live the cost may be different.
Water saving tap aerator
> Uses 1 liter of water every 15 seconds
> This is the equivalent of 3.8 liters per minute
> 3.8 liters per minute x 10 minutes = 38 liters of water per day
> 38 liters of water per day x 220 days per year = 8,360 liters of water per year
>8,360 liters of water per year x 2 euros per cubic meter of water = 16,72 euros per year
Ways to conserve water
Water conservation can be defined as the decision and the act of using less water
Water conservation both benefit you and the environment
The act of saving and conserving water does benefit you because you will be paying less for your water bills.
And it also does benefit the environment because conserving water prevents any unnecessary waste of natural resources.
Now, at the individual level, it may not look worth trying to save a few liters or gallons here or there.
Still, every little count and if hundreds or thousands of us do save a little every time, it will make an important contribution towards conserving our natural resources.
For example, if 9000 households would manage to save as little as 5 liters of water per day:
> Collectively, we would be saving over 16,000,000 liters of water per year!
> Collectively, assuming a cost of 2 euros per cubic meter of water, we would be saving nearly 33,000 euros per year!
Proven ways to save water at home
If you are looking for water-saving ideas at home, have a look at this video where we provide some useful tips to reduce water usage and decrease the water bill.
