Category: Water

Insulate hot water pipes

3/6/2026

Insulating your hot water heater pipes retains heat in the water that reaches your faucets, saving energy and money.

According to PECO, “Insulating your water heater pipes can help recover lost heat, decrease the time required for hot water to reach your faucets, and save you money. You can install foam insulation yourself in just a few hours.” By retaining heat, the water that reaches the faucet is at a higher temperature. This allows you to reduce the temperature setting on your water heater, further saving energy and money.

Insulating your hot water pipes is an inexpensive DIY project, and the materials are readily available at hardware stores.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Water-efficient hand dish washing technique

2/27/2026

Using an efficient dish-washing technique, you can save water when washing dishes by hand.

Modern dishwashers are generally more energy and water efficient than washing dishes by hand. If you don’t have a dishwashing machine or just prefer handwashing your dishes, there are steps that you can take to minimize your water and energy consumption. Perry Santanachote describes the two-basin method in her article on Consumerreports.com (updated by Molly Bradley, October 29, 2023; retrieved November 30, 2025). Another method is to wash the lightly soiled dishes over the more heavily soiled dishes and pots to allow them to soak as you wash. Always turn off the faucet when you are not actively using the water.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Save water with a low-flow toilet

10/10/2025

Installing a WaterSense labeled toilet saves gallons of water with every flush, reducing household water use by as much as 60%.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, toilet flushing can account for almost 30% of household water use. The current federal standard holds new toilets to 1.6 gallons per flush, but older models use as much as six gallons. You can save even more water by installing toilets that are certified with the WaterSense label. These use only 1.28 gallons per flush and still perform as well or better than standard models at clearing waste from the toilet bowl. The EPA suggests that you can save 13,000 gallons of water per year, saving you more than $170.

Read more from Consumer Reports and at US EPA.gov.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Water plants with water from dehumidifier reservoir

8/8/2025

Reduce your municipal water usage by watering plants with water generated by your dehumidifier.

If you run a dehumidifier to keep your basement less humid throughout the summer, you could be producing a gallon or so of water daily that can be useful in your garden. The water collected by your dehumidifier is a great water source for your plants! Fill your watering can every time you empty the reservoir. Reduce your municipal water use by taking advantage of this source of water.

Water outdoor plants in the morning

7/18/2025

Water outdoor plants in the early morning or late afternoon for better plant health and to minimize water lost to evaporation.

The best time to water your outdoor plants is in the early morning between 5:00-9:00 AM. This gives the water time to soak into the soil and time for the leaves to dry off, preventing the development of fungal diseases. Evening watering is also beneficial for minimizing evaporation, but it is best to use a soaker hose or drip irrigation at this time of day because when the foliage stays wet overnight, the plants are susceptible to diseases. Avoid watering in the middle of the day when more water will be wasted due to evaporation.

For more information, see Better Homes & Gardens

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Drink filtered water rather than bottled

3/7/2025

Getting a water filter pitcher instead of buying bottled water will save you money and reduce plastic waste.

Investing in a water filter pitcher or some other at-home water filtration system eliminates your production of plastic bottle waste and saves you money. Much of the cost of bottled water is from packaging, shipping, and marketing. In most places, municipal water is perfectly safe to drink, and the water filter can improve its taste. The pitcher can be stored in the refrigerator so that you have cold water to drink, and reusable water bottles make that water portable without the plastic. The Swarthmore Food Co-op has a box for recycling used Brita brand filters, packaging, and pitchers.

Read more at HowStuffWorks.com

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Take fewer showers

10/18/2024

Showering less saves water and energy while also strengthening our immune systems and preserving more of the skin’s natural oils.

Aside from helping the planet, showering less helps strengthen our immune systems by keeping disease-fighting bacteria living on our skin. It also allows us to preserve more of our microorganisms and the skin’s natural oils. Microbes on the skin potentially stop harmful pathogens from entering the body and reduce the possibility of skin conditions.

Read more here

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Use cold water whenever possible

8/2/2024

Heating water requires a lot of energy; use cold water whenever possible, especially for short water uses such as handwashing. According to the EPA, running the warm water from your faucet run warm water for 5 minutes uses the equivalent amount of energy as a 60-watt light bulb that is left on for 14 hours.

The water heater is the second largest consumer of residential energy. When you run the hot water for a short time, such as to wash your hands, cold water replaces the water removed from the hot water tank, and the water heater must work to heat that water, even though you never felt the water run warm from the faucet. If you do not need hot water, just turn on the cold tap so that the water heater does not have to turn on unnecessarily. Taking shorter showers and washing laundry with cold water also saves heating costs and saves money too. Lowering the set temperature on your water heater reduces the overall cost of heating water.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Install a rain barrel

3/15/2024

Install a rain barrel to reduce storm runoff and to use as a water supply for outdoor watering needs.

During a rainstorm, rainwater seeps into the ground until the ground is saturated and the remaining water runs off into drains and ultimately streams and rivers. With the increase in impervious surfaces in cities, less water infiltrates during storms. The increase in runoff can overwhelm the storm sewer system and cause local flooding. Harvesting rainwater using a rain barrel reduces the harmful effects of runoff, and on-site use of captured rainwater reduces water treatment needs and reduces the use of potable water for residential uses.

Rain barrels are not difficult to install. Either cut a downspout to direct water through a screened opening on the top or install a diverter into a downspout that directs water through a tube to the barrel and allows overflow to continue through the downspout once the barrel is full. Make sure any openings are covered with screen to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the water. You can even install a series of barrels, the next one filling when the previous one is full. A spigot near the bottom of the barrel allows you to fill a watering can or attach a hose. Placing the barrel on top of cement blocks or stand makes room for filling a watering can. This water should only be used for watering plants and is not safe for drinking without being treated first.

For more information, see this fact sheet.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

When running water to wait for it to warm up, collect it and use for other purposes like watering plants

2/4/2022

While waiting for the water from the tap warm up for your shower or to wash dishes, as much as 1 – 2 gallons of clean, potable, usable water rushes down the drain. Put that water to good use around the house! Catch the flow in a bucket or pitcher, and use it to water houseplants or an outside garden, or add soap and use it for mopping. You can even use it to flush the toilet!

Photo credits: Gosheshe, Flickr; Austin Kirk, Flickr

<<Previous