Smart Living in Denver

We need water for a variety of uses – drinking, bathing, cleaning and watering yards and plants.  As the population grows, so does the need for conservation of our water resources.  Denver is a semi-arid region and water is not always abundant.

If you are moving to Denver from a home where you didn’t have to pay for water, you had a well, or were part of a homeowner’s association, there are a number of ways to conserve on your water usage.

Did you know that over 50% of all water used in your home is in the bathroom?  That’s a lot of water!

When you replace the fixtures, look for toilets that use less water.  You should check with your water provider to see if there are any incentives for installing efficient water usage toilets.

Make sure your toilet isn’t leaking.  A neat tip that I read a bout is to add food coloring to the tank.  (Don’t use red, and you don’t need much.)  If the toilet tank if leaking, you will see the color appear in the bowl.  Wait about 30 minutes.  Then, flush the tan a couple of times to flush out all the food coloring so it won’t stain.  Replace any worn out parts.  The local hardware store can provide replacements parts and they are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

You can take shorter showers.  If you have teenagers in the house, short showers are just not feasible.  Replace the shower heads with low-flow types.

When Denver is going through a drought, place a bucket in the shower and use this to flush toilets. It’s amazing how much water can be collected this way.  If you haven’t used a lot of soap or shampoo, you can also use it on your shrubs.

Make sure you have no dripping faucets.  You can aerators with flow restrictors to your current faucets to less the flow of water.

Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or while you are soaping your hands.  After awhile it becomes a habit and it’s not hard to do.

You might consider adding an on-demand hot water heater. The water will not have to run while it is heating.  The units are move expensive than conventional hot water heaters, but over time they pay for themselves.

Rather than using the garbage disposer and just running water down the drain, start a compost pile.  If you have a septic system, don’t use a garbage disposer, it will lead to problems.

Put a pitcher of water in the refrigerator to save running to water so it will get cold.  Refill your plastic bottles as well rather than buying new ones.