Household across Nottinghamshire and beyond are looking for ways to saving money at the moment. Energy bills are rising, and food and fuel are on the same upward path. One expert, however, says that savings of up to £1,500 can be made by households.
By reducing water use at home, the knock effect is that savings can also be made on utility bills, according to data from the Consumer Council for Water and Severn Trent.
Sophie Evans-Young, Water Efficiency Manager at Severn Trent, said: “Many people are surprised to hear how much of an impact reducing water use can have on energy bills. On average, most of us spend 10 minutes in the shower – although someone once told me they're in there for 40 minutes! – but there are massive savings to be made by just cutting it back by five minutes.
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Sophie added: “All these savings add up, so even by making sure that the dishwasher or washing machine is completely full, or getting that dripping bathroom tap fixed, you can see a big difference over time.
"After one of the driest years on record, this will also help to ensure we have plenty of water in our reservoirs in case the dry weather continues through the autumn and winter. Even though we’ve had some rain in the last few weeks and gardens are looking greener, we’ll need plenty more to get the levels back up.”
The average a family of four with a water meter could see some big savings with some small adjustments to the lifestyle. Here's what there data revealed.
9 money saving tips
- Cutting daily shower times from 10 to 5 minutes - £700 a year
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Switching off taps when brushing their teeth - £100 a year
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Fixing a leaky toilet - £300 a year
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Changing to a low-flow shower head - £100 a year
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Cutting out two dishwasher runs per week by only running with full loads - £75 a year
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Cutting out two washing machine runs per week by only running with full loads - £50 a year
- Fixing a dripping tap with a drip rate of two drips per second - saves around £15 a year
Fixing a dripping tap that has a a constant stream of drips - saves around £90 a year
Switching to a water meter - £200 could be saved
Karen Gibbs, senior leader for the Environment at CCW, said: "The great thing about using water wisely is that it not only helps the environment but also really can take a lot of the heat out of energy bills if you use less hot water. By creating a little less splash, you can save a lot of cash and help to ensure our water supplies go even further.”
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