Water – Use it wisely
This blog is to shed light on tips for reducing residential water use and help raise awareness about the importance of water conservation. Despite the current non-drought conditions that exist throughout the state of Florida conserving water can save you money on your new home’s water and energy bills. It’s also good for the environment and your local municipality when water is used responsibly. Hey, I get it. It’s not like we’re trying to be water vampires, sucking every last drop of water we can get our hands on. It’s just so easy to waste water—and lots of it—even when we don’t mean to do so. Consider this: if you leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, you’re allowing 8 gallons a DAY to go to waste down the drain!
So what can we do to conserve water? In addition to turning off the sink faucet while brushing your teeth, there may be new tips you haven’t heard before. Each tip you try will yield more and more savings. Challenge yourself this month to try at least half of these and work your way up each week after.
Here are some helpful tips that will assist in reducing water usage and helping out your wallet in the process:
- When brushing your teeth, do not keep the water running continuously. Turn the water off while brushing and lathering your hands. Then, turn the water back on when you are ready to rinse. This may not seem like much, but the cumulative effect over time will help conserve a significant amount of water.
- The same goes when showering, cut off the water when lathering up with soap and shampoo. Letting water continuously run is a quick way to see a spike in your water bill. Also, limit tub baths.
- Make sure you don’t have any toilet leaks by placing food coloring into the water tank. This way it will know if you have a leak that will require a plumbing inspection
- Do not keep the water continuously running when washing your dishes by hand
- Do not run your dishwasher when it is partially full. Wait until it is completely filled up before operating
- If you have an old toilet that uses 3.5 gallons of water to flush, replacing it with a 1.28 gallon flush toilet will save you water and money
- Adjust the appropriate water level setting on your washing machine when it is not filled
Its hard to believe that with all the rain South Florida gets, we would have to worry about water. But South Florida is one of the country’s highest per capita water-use areas, and we experience periodic water shortages. Here are more helpful resources to help you save!
- Single-family residential property owners or tenants, as well as multi-family property owners, may receive a $50 rebate with the purchase and installation of a WaterSense-certified High-Efficiency toilet.
- Single-family residential property owners or tenants may receive up to a $25 rebate (actual cost of fixture or $25, whichever is less) with the purchase and installation of a WaterSense-certified or 1.5 gpm High-Efficiency shower head or faucet.
- A single family residential property is eligible to receive a maximum of two (2) rebates per fixture (toilet, shower head or faucet).
- A multifamily property is eligible to receive a maximum of 50 toilet rebates per fiscal year (October 1 to September 30).
- High Efficiency Shower Heads (HES) Participants may receive up to a maximum of two (2) rebates per residential property when they purchase and install an EPA WaterSense-certified or 1.5 gallon per minute (gpm) shower head and submit a rebate application with the original purchase receipt.
- High Efficiency Faucets (HEF) Participants may receive up to a maximum of two (2) rebates per residential when they purchase and install an EPA WaterSense-certified or 1.5 gallon per minutes (gpm) kitchen/bathroom faucet and submit a rebate application accompanied by the original purchase receipt.
- High Efficiency Toilet (HET) Participants may receive up to a maximum of two (2) rebates per residential property when they purchase and install an EPA WaterSense-certified toilet and submit a rebate application with the original purchase receipt.
Miami-Dade County’s Water Conservation Program seeks to promote and implement water-saving techniques among residents, visitors and business owners to reduce overuse. Did you know, if you live in a residential property and your shower head has not been upgraded since 1996, you are eligible to exchange your old fixture for a new, high-efficiency shower-head for free, courtesy of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department!
Mail the application and original purchase receipt within 60 days of purchase to:
MIAMI-DADE WATER AND SEWER DEPARTMENT
WATER-USE EFFICIENCY PROGRAM
3071 SW 38 AVENUE
MIAMI FL 33146
Be sure to adhere to your county’s water restriction ordinances. For Additional information about this or other efficiency programs, call the Water Conservation Program at (786)-552-8974 or, visit the source of all this information directly on the web;
Wasting water is useless. So use less.
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