Saving water can save you money and it contributes to a healthy environment. Whether it's in the home or garden, there are plenty of ways to reduce your water use — here are a few ideas to get you started.

Do regularly inspect your home for leaks and fix them. Monitor your new automated water meter — if the meter is running when you are not using water, you have a leak! Whether it's a new washer for your faucet or a flapper valve for your toilet, leaks are often very simple and inexpensive to repair.
Do install water-efficient toilets, low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators.
Do keep a jug of drinking water in the fridge to avoid waiting for cold running water. Be sure to clean and dry it every few days.
Do use a high-efficiency front loading washing machine.
Do water your lawn in the morning to reduce water lost to evaporation.
Do keep your mower blades sharp to avoid tearing the grass and keep the clippings on your lawn to keep moisture in the soil.
Do plant a water efficient garden and use a rain barrel for any water that is required.
Do repair and retrofit your home to be more water efficient.

Don't leave the tap running when brushing your teeth or preparing food.
Don't turn the tap full blast when washing hands or brushing teeth.
Don't run the dishwasher and washing machine until they're full.
Don't use a toilet as a waste basket or flush it unnecessarily.
Don't over water your lawn. Healthy lawns only need 2.5 cm of water once a week, including rain fall.
Don't mow your lawn until your grass has reached a height of 11 cm, then mow it back down to 7.5 cm. to encourage deep, drought tolerant roots.

Water efficiency by the numbers

Conventional faucets have an average flow rate of 13.5 litres of water per minute. Low-flow aerators will reduce this flow. In the bathroom, a flow rate of about 6 litres per minute should suffice and in the kitchen a flow rate of 6 to 9 litres per minute is sufficient.

During the growing season, water use can increase by as much as 50%. While lawns require a lot of water, much of this water is wasted due to over watering and evaporation; in fact oscillating sprinklers can lose as much as 50% of what they disperse through evaporation. As an alternative, try a soaker hose.

Conserving water also means conserving electricity: running a tap for five minutes can use as much energy as a 60-watt light bulb burning for 14 hours.(i)·

Canadians believe they use an average of 66 litres of water per day, for drinking, showering, bathing, toilet flushing, laundry and dishwashing. In fact, they actually use five times more - with an actual consumption of about 329 litres per day.(ii)· Here's a breakdown of how we use water in our home: (iii)

- Showers and Baths: 35%
- Toilet Flushing: 30%
- Laundry: 20%
- Kitchen and drinking: 10%
- Cleaning: 5%


For more water efficiency tips and information on the City's rebates and programs, toronto.ca/watereff

(i) Benefits of Water Efficiency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/benefits.htm. Accessed March 15, 2010.
(ii) 2009 Canadian Water Attitudes Study, commissioned by Unilever and RBC, and is endorsed by the Canadian Partnership Initiative of the United Nations Water for Life Decade.
(iii)Environment Canada, http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=65EAA3F5-1, Accessed March 15,2010.