Did you know how much water we consume across the country each and every day? It’s a stunning, jaw-dropping, 5 billion gallons a day. That’s an incredible figure when you stop to consider in just a week, it adds up to 35 billion, and 1 trillion 820 billion per year, on average. When you’re in the market to buy a home, there are ways to tell if it’s energy-efficient. So, after your purchase offer is accepted, the inspections and appraisal are complete, and you get through closing, you can start saving money by doing a few home improvements.

Easy Water-Saving Home Improvements You can Make

When you first move into a house, you should do these things right away: change the locks, test all the appliances, learn to work all the home’s gadgets, test the smoke detectors, and schedule a home energy audit. What the audit will likely reveal if the home isn’t new or recently built within the past few years is there are water wasters. A regular, off the shelf shower head is typically one culprit. After all, showers account for 17 to 20 percent of all residential water use.

…let’s get this out-of-the-way: these projects aren’t sexy or even fun. After you do them, you probably won’t be inviting friends over to marvel at the upgrades. They are, however, improvements that will save you the most money in the long run, just in terms of resale value and keeping your home from falling apart. —Lifehacker.com

But the shower isn’t the only way we use a lot of water in our homes. Some people like to reuse store-bought plastic water bottles a few times before recycling them. While you’re not paying for a new six, twelve, or bigger bulk pack of spring water, you are using your kitchen faucet. Then, there’s also dishes to wash and rinse, laundry to wash, and dogs to bathe. When you consider other little things, like brushing your teeth and filling pet water dishes, it adds up quickly. All of that is costing money but you can use the following water-saving home improvements:

• Replace all the shower heads. Remember the average American household uses 17 to 20 percent of all its water consumption on showers? That’s up to 30 gallons per day, according to the Water Research Foundation. Some of the newer shower heads are more efficient and can save thousands of gallons of water per year.
• Install new kitchen and bath faucets. Like showers, kitchen and bath faucets use an awful amount of water, accounting for about 19 percent of all residential use, in fact. New federal requirements limit usage to just 2.2 gallons per minute. That’s compared to the old standard of nearly 3 to a whopping 7 gallons per minute older faucets use.
• Upgrade your major home appliances. The water heater, dishwasher, clothes washer, and refrigerator are all appliances which can waste a substantial amount of water, driving up your monthly utilities costs. Upgrading to new appliances will save you money over the long-term and provide improved functionality.
• Use an irrigation timer and water smartly. Here in the Sunshine State, yards need water to survive. During the mild winter months, the grass goes dormant. But come spring, your lawn will need water. Use an irrigation timer and water before sunrise to enhance the morning dew and/or early morning rain.

If you’re going to buy or sell your home in the near future, please don’t hesitate to phone me at 407-616-7286, I’ll be happy to speak with you.