fp Turks and Caicos

Brought to you by Scotiabank

Are you flushing money down the toilet by using a dated model?

Toilets, shower heads, faucets and fixtures have gone through a major overhaul in the last decade, not just in looks, but mainly by greatly improving their efficiency, while at the same time keeping the same comfort levels for users.

While it has taken a few manufacturers of newly designed toilets to fail, it made others rise to the top. Today most new models are so-called “low-flow” toilets. A low-flow toilet is defined as using no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Prior to 1994, most toilets on the market used at least 3.5 gallons per flush, or about 220 percent more water than the efficient low-flow models.

According to experts, the less efficient models with no water-conserving fixtures consume an average of over 20 gallons of water per person, per day in a home. That’s nearly 30 percent of an average home’s daily per-person indoor water use — the most water used by any household appliance.

Upgrading from a 3.5 gpf (gallons per flush) toilet to a low-flow toilet using only 1.6 gpf can reduce one person’s annual water use by more than half, or about 13,800 gallons per year for an average family of four. Not only does this reduce your water bills, but also contributes greatly to water conservation — an important value in today’s society, especially in a country with no natural water source.

Another option for keeping water from slipping away in your home are low-flow faucets and fixtures.

A 1.75 gpm (gallons per minute) low-flow showerhead can save 35 percent over less efficient 2.75 gpm showerheads. In other words, you can save a whopping 7,700 gallons of water per year for an average family of four taking approximately seven-minute showers.

Small in size, but big in impact are water efficient faucets. A low-flow faucet with water-saving aerators that mix air into the water stream increasing the perceived water amount offer up to 45 percent in water savings. For the average household, this can save more than 14,700 gallons of water each year.

By upgrading your faucets, shower heads and toilets in your home to the highly efficient low-flow models, an average four-person family stands to save a total of 37,200 gallons per year on their water consumption. The best thing about the upgrade is that while these savings of more than $1,500 per year pay for them selves in a matter of months, and it requires no compromise on your part and provides you with the same comfortable experience you had before.

Tips on how to save water

• Replace older, less efficient toilets with 1.28-gallon High-Efficiency Toilets (HETs) to save up to 16,500 gallons of water per year.
• Swap out your 2.75 gpm showerhead with a 1.75 water-conserving showerhead and you can save more than 7,700 gallons of water per year, based on an average of seven-minute for a family of four.
• Fix leaky faucets and install faucets with water-saving aerators to effortlessly save hundreds of gallons of water per year.
• Use the appropriate water level and load size on the washing machine when doing laundry. Consider purchasing a front-load washing machine.
• Use a broom rather than a hose to clean off driveways, steps and sidewalks.
• Water your garden during the coolest part of the day, generally in the morning, and avoid watering on windy days.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving to keep excess water from going down the drain.
• Landscape with native or low-water plants to significantly reduce water usage outside the home.
• Use leftover water for houseplants, instead of pouring out a half-empty glass of drinking water.
• Make sure the dishwasher is fully loaded to maximize the dishes cleaned in a cycle.

Source: Kohler