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Most
Precious Resource | Water
facts | How to gain from rain
| Saving the World | Drought
protection | Reduce your water
use
Water Facts
Imagine yourself in swimming in a pool 7 metres
long, 4 wide and 2 deep: not a big pool but large enough
to take some good exercise. It contains the amount of
water it is estimated you use every year in the UK: 58
400 litres or 160 litres a day. How do we manage to use
so much? Well, here are some startling facts..
Water Use in the home
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100 litres |
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50 litres (old WCs use 9 litres per
flush, new dual flush 4 or 2.5 litres) |
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33 litres (more like 100 with a power
shower) |
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e.g. washing up or cleaning teeth. 5 to
10 litres a minute |
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25-60 litres |
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70-120 litres |
Water Use outside the home
And so that’s about 160 litres down the drain before
even going in the garden. Normally outdoor use of water
is only 7% of water consumption. But at peak times in a
dry summer this rises to 70%. The hosepipe is the
villain. Depending on use and pressure, it flows at around 1000 to
1400 litres an hour. Connected to a sprinkler, it is a
wasteful and ineffective way of watering. Using a
trickle or drip system is a much better way: water is
absorbed slowly and penetrates more easily to roots,
there is no evaporation and it can be directed to
specific plants. And on average a 100 metre length only
uses 55 litres an hour.
So with toilets and the washing machine using between 30
to 40% of our water, it makes sense to use rainwater
instead of mains water to supply these appliances.
And in a drought when we want to use so much more water
for gardens and other outdoor uses, it makes sense to
use stored rainwater when mains water use might be
restricted.
Washing Machines
Washing machines used to use as much water per wash as a person now uses in
an entire day - up to 150 litres.
Advances in technology over the past 20 years, however, have succeeded in
reducing the average water consumption to about 50
litres per wash - still quite a bit of water! Clothes washing now accounts for
about 15 percent of the water that we use on our homes,
so by reducing wastage in this area we can make significant water savings.
Rainwater can safely be used in washing machines, so you
can reduce your overall mains water consumption by using rainwater and buying a
water-efficient model.
Washing machines vary tremendously in how much water they use per wash: first
check how much water is used per wash (varies
from just over 40 litres to over over 100 litres). For added efficiency choose a
machine with a high capacity/low water use ratio. Some
use as much as 20 litres per kilogram of clothes while others as little as 6
litres per kilogram. To figure out the water efficiency of a
clothes washing machine, simply divide the model’s water consumption (in litres
per standard cycle) by its capacity (in kilograms).
You
can find water consumption information on the EU Energy Label that is affixed to
all models.
The best models will have a water efficiency of less than 7.50 litres per
kilogram, while the very worst can exceed 20 litres per
kilogram.
Full List of Washing Machines ranked by water use done by Waterwise in 2007
With any model, total water consumption will depend on how you use the machine.
In order to minimise water and energy waste,
follow these quick tips:
Some
Quick tips to reduce water wastage from clothes washing
- When using your washing machine, make sure to use a full load every time.
Surveys have shown that a typical load of laundry is
usually much less than the maximum capacity of the model, so make sure to stuff
in a couple of shirts with your next load. If you need
to do a wash but don't have a full load, use the half load feature on your
machine. Remember, though, that some half loads will use
almost as much water as a full load, and that two half loads will use more water
and energy than one full load. If you're purchasing a
new machine, choose a model with a capacity that is appropriate for your
situation. If you live alone, you're most likely to not need a
model that can wash 10kgs of clothing.
- Familiarise yourself with your washing machine’s cycle options. Some settings
provide the same cleaning power as a normal cycle,
but with less water and energy. Check your user manual for water consumption
information about the various cycles on your model, or
contact the manufacturer.
- Avoid pre-washing. Most modern washing machines and washing powders are so
effective that you don’t have to pre-rinse!
Updated : Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:00:07 GMT
Entec, on behalf of the Environment Agency, has completed a report to identify where hydropower could be deployed in England and Wales to help to tap into the unused power potential of British rivers.
Publ.Date : Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
A Queen's University Belfast research centre has netted a 3.5m Euro grant from the European Union to fund look into improving water quality and quantity.
Publ.Date : Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Heavy rain and mudslides have left over 40 dead and over 100 injured on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Publ.Date : Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
A map showing where hydropower could be used in England and Wales could help to tap into the unused power potential of British rivers, according to the Environment Agency.
Publ.Date : Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
IRT Consult Ltd a family run company based in Ireland, are providing a unique VOC Gas monitoring service which utilises a specialist infrared camera to visually identify Leaks, Emission sources and fugitive emissions.
Publ.Date : Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT
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