The Penny Wiser | Urban Consumerism

Kid-Conservation: H2O

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Teaching children to conserve whether its water, electricity, heating, or cooling is an easy way to bring save money by cutting the cost of utility bills. It is also essential for them to learn to respect Planet Earth and their role as a consumer of its resources.


		Most Americans enjoy the comforts of a warm home with clean water. Kids don’t realize that those conveniences aren’t free and so they use them as if they were. Children should be taught to shut off the water while they’re brushing their teeth, bath in smaller amounts of water, and to reuse water left over from drinking to water plants or put in a pet’s dish. These are all small ways to help them get involved in the family’s effort to cut down consumption.

The water industry estimates that an average person uses 3,000 gallons of water monthly. A family of 4 would use 12,000 gallons then, for bathing, cooking, washing, recreation and watering. The amount of consumption will vary depending on the number of people in the household, how often you wash clothes, and whether you take showers or baths.

If you do the tub, you’ve used about 36 gallons of water, compared 25 to 50 gallons for a shower. Every time you flush the toilet, it’s up to 7 gallons of water used in an older home but only 1.5 in most newer homes. Flushing alone accounts for a staggering 40% of a resident's water costs.

To find out exactly how much water your household is using, use the Water Consumption calculator at CSGNetwork.com. They offer a great way to find out how much water you are using and where you can cut back to save. Once you know how much water you are using you can figure out ways to cut down your level of consumption – even the kids.

KWIK TIP:
Fix dripping faucets. One drip per second over a year wastes 2,700 gallons of water.

Kids will model your behavior. Let them see you saving, conserving, and reusing water whenever possible. Teach them to brush their teeth without the background audio of running water. Even the dirtiest kid can get squeaky clean in a 3 minute shower with vigorous soaping and rinsing. Bath time can still be fun time in 5 inches of water in a tub instead of 10 inches. Tell your children you’re saving water for their future and they’ll want to help.

As adults in the household, you’ve got to do your part to make sure the kids efforts aren’t in vain. Do a complete a water usage audit around your home to make sure there is no water waste going on. One of the biggest things that can contribute to a high water usage is water leaks around the home.

To determine if you have a water leak, write down the number on your water meter and then check that number two hours later after no water has been used in the house. If the number is not exactly the same, you may have a leak.

Change out faucet washers to prevent or stop leaky faucets. Consider installing a low-flow toilet and showerhead. There are many ways to decrease the amount of water you use and the easiest ones are simple changes in the way you use water everyday. For more ideas on how to save water in your home, visit American Water for “Save Water 49 Ways”. With a little help from your kids and a little information on how to save water effectively, you can do your part to conserve water for future generations and bring down your home utility costs now.

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