Last week was the hottest day on record, and already there is talk of a drought (although it is raining today in Leeds!)

Saving water is about adapting to climate change and living more sustainably. Most people don’t actually know how much water we use each day, but research has shown that 46% of people believe their household uses under 20 litres a day – this is the equivalent of a 2 minute shower, the truer figure is more like 142 litres per person per day. This means an average family of four in the UK could use more than 500 litres each day.

It has never been more important to save water, so…Here are some tips which can save you time and money around your home in North Leeds, as well as protecting the planet.

• Taking a shower rather than a bath and making it shorter – on average you will save 12 litres of water a minute. Install a water-saving shower head or flow restrictors
• Only use the dishwasher when it is full of pots and pans – the average dishwasher uses 10 litres of water each time
• Turn the tap off when you brushing your teeth or shaving – a running tap wastes approximately six litres a minute
• Check faucets and pipes for leaks, even a small drip can waste gallons in a day
• Use water twice in the kitchen – try to reuse water whenever you can and always keep one large jug of water in the fridge, this saves running the tap water to cool it for drinking
• Only boil as much water as you need, not only will this save water but electricity too
• Dual flush toilets have two buttons for different quantities of water to flow – the lower flush typically saves two litres per flush
• Wait for a full load before running your washing machine and use the Eco button if you can
• Don’t wash your hair every day, use a dry shampoo in between washes if you need to
• Cut down on utensils and crockery – if you can use the same mug or glass, but don’t cut down on drinking water – the less pots and pans you use the less water it will take when washing up

If we all do our little bit then hopefully the ‘forecasted’ drought won’t have such an impact, and the rain that is forecasted for this week will also impact in a good way too – read my blog tomorrow on what you can do to save water in the garden.

David Phillip Estate Agents, 86, Leeds Road, Bramhope, Leeds, LS16 9AN  w:davidphillip.co.uk

E: info@davidphillip.co.uk