Saving
water in the
garden
In hot and dry weather,
water used outdoors can amount to 50 per
cent of total usage. In the UK it's
possible, however, to have a beautiful
and productive garden using very little
mains water. Find out more about what you
can do...
Everyday watering tips
Things you can do
include:
-
use a watering can
instead of a
hose
-
if you do use a
hose, use a trigger to control
the flow
-
avoid using
watering-can roses, except on
young seedlings, as much of the
water does not reach the roots
where it’s
needed
-
watering early in
the morning or late at night
means water does not evaporate in
the heat of the day before it can
reach the roots
-
leave plants and
shrubs dry until they show signs
of wilting - watering too often
can keep roots shallow and weaken
plants
-
weeding regularly
makes sure that watering helps
plants and not
weeds
-
prioritise young
plants and seedlings; more
established plants will survive
longer periods without
water
Saving water while keeping your
lawn healthy
Lawns are usually the
thirstiest part of a garden, but there
are easy steps you can take to reduce the
amount of water your lawn
needs:
-
letting the grass
grow longer in dry spells helps
keep moisture in the
soil
-
if you use a
sprinkler, your water company may
require you to have a meter
fitted as they can use as much
water in an hour as a family of
four uses in a
day
-
infrequent soaks
will be more effective than
frequent sprinkling as they will
encourage roots to search for
water deeper in the
ground
-
remember that even
if your lawn goes brown in the
dry weather it doesn’t mean it
has died - it will usually
recover when the rain
returns
-
if you’re looking to
redo your lawn or re-seed part of
it, choose grass varieties that
are better suited to dry
conditions like fescue grass or
smooth-stalked
meadow
Install a water butt
Thousands litres of
rainwater fall on the average roof every
year. If you collect this water and use
it on your garden, it is better for your
lawn and plants as well as the
environment. Other points to
consider:
-
fit a lid to stop
leaves collecting or small
animals falling in and
drowning
-
if you want to
collect more water than can be
stored in one butt, it is
possible to get a connector kit
to link up two or
more
-
water companies and
councils often sell water butts
at subsidised
prices
Make use of greywater in the
garden
 Any
water that has been used in the home,
except water from toilets, is called
greywater. Shower, sink and laundry water
can be re-used in the garden during
droughts:
-
greywater from baths
and showers can be used to water
non-edible
plants
-
make sure it is cool
before you use
it
-
avoid pouring it
straight on to
foliage
Plan a water-efficient
garden
Things to
consider:
-
healthy composted
soil will retain moisture and
nutrients
-
choosing
drought-tolerant plants means
your garden needs less
water
-
planting new shrubs
and trees through plastic helps
to retain moisture and control
weeds
-
loose mulches (such
as wood bark or coarse home
compost) around established
plants stop water
evaporating
The wider issue
Increasing demand for water
means it is important to find ways of
conserving this valuable resource. Saving
water in the garden can help lessen the
risk of drought orders and water
restrictions, help protect wildlife and
reduce climate change
impacts.
Saving water in your
home
There is a limited supply of
water, and shortages are a problem in
parts of the UK. By saving water, you can
help protect wildlife like birds and fish
that live in rivers and wetlands. You can
also cut the energy needed for treating
water, helping reduce climate
change.
Installing a low-flush or
dual-flush toilet
Over half of people in the
UK say they are trying to cut down on
their water usage
Toilet flushing accounts for
about a third of household water usage.
You probably flush away as much water in
a day as you drink in a whole month.
There are many things you can do to cut
this down:
-
when buying a new
toilet, get a water-saving,
low-flush or dual flush
toilet
-
install a water
displacement device (sometimes
called a 'hippo') in the cistern
of a higher flush toilet - you
will reduce the amount of water
used for each
flush, typically by one or
two litres. Most water companies
provide free displacement devices
for their
customers
-
fit a variable
flushing device to existing
higher flush toilets - this will
give you a choice of flush
volumes to help save
water
Switch to showers
A quick shower can use much
less water than a bath. But power
showers can use more water than a bath in
less than five minutes. Think
about:
-
fitting a
water-efficient shower head to
your existing shower. This can
reduce the amount of water you
use by a further 30 per cent
without compromising shower
performance (these should
not be fitted to electric
showers, as this can lead to
overheating of the
water)
-
avoiding high volume
power showers - you can easily
use more water than if you had a
bath
Use water-efficient
appliances
Half-load cycles use much
more than half the energy and water of a
full load
The amount of water consumed
by dishwashers and washing machines
varies considerably.
All new dishwashers and
washing machines have a European (EU)
energy label which will tell you how much
water they user per wash, as well as how
energy efficient they are. Things you
might like to consider
are:
-
if you have a
choice, look for a machine that
uses less than 50 litres per
wash
-
try looking for a
dishwasher that uses less than 15
litres per wash
-
make sure your
dishwasher or washing machine is
fully loaded before you switch it
on - half-load cycles use much
more than half the energy and
water of a full
load
Upgrade your plumbing
Things to think about
are:
-
fixing drips - a
dripping tap or overflow can
waste a lot of water (just 2
drips a second adds up to about
26 litres of water a day), but a
new washer costs just a few pence
and can be fitted in
minutes
-
fitting aerator or
spray ends to washbasin
taps can reduce water
consumption by up to 50 per
cent - an aerator mixes air
with
water
-
putting lagging on
your outside pipes will help to
avoid burst pipes and leaks in
winter
Save water in the garden
There are many ways of
saving water in the
garden:
-
using a watering can
rather than a hose will make a
huge difference to the amount of
water you use in your garden - a
hose can use more water in an
hour than a family of four uses
in a day
-
consider buying a
water butt to collect rain water
for the garden - using rain water
saves mains water and the energy
used to treat
it
Avoid pouring water straight down
the drain
Ways to avoid
this:
-
the cold water that
comes through before a tap runs
hot can be collected for watering
plants
-
keep a jug of water
in the fridge instead of waiting
for the tap to run
cold
-
turning off the taps
when you are brushing your teeth
or shaving can save five litres a
minute
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