Why We Should Save Water?

Save Energy and Reduce Carbon Emissions

Our climate impacts the amount of water we have in our households. Most people would not associate Scotland with water shortages. However, as we suffer from more dry spells due to climate change our water levels in rivers, lochs and reservoirs can rapidly drop. For instance, in the summer of 2018 Scotland had limited rainfall and this resulted in significant strain on our water resources.

In addition, Scottish Water is one of the largest single users of electricity in Scotland. This is due to the amount of energy required to produce drinking water. Therefore, households can undertake climate action by aiming to conserve water which contribute towards reducing energy and carbon emissions.

On average water usage in the UK accounts for 6% of carbon emissions. 1% of these emissions are created from the process of collection, treatment and pumping to homes. The remaining 5% of emissions are created to heat the water in homes. CIWEM (2013) - https://www.ciwem.org/assets/pdf/Policy/Reports/A-Blueprint-for-carbon-emissions-reductions-in-the-water-industry.pdf

Save Money

Around one fifth of the average household’s heating bills are spent on heating water, so saving water not only helps protect the planet, it can also help keep your energy bills down Scottish Water. (2022) - https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Save-Water/Saving-Water-in-Scotland 

How to Save Water

Visit the Scottish Water website to learn how to reduce water consumption and protect future supplies within our natural environment.

Top tips to save water:

1. Attach aerators to your taps as these will control the amount of water that flows through the tap, without affecting the water pressure.
2. Install water saving bags in cisterns
3. Washing your face – fill up the sink instead of leaving the tap running.
4. Reduce the amount of water in your bath and take short showers
5. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
6. If you need to rinse dishes before placing them into the dishwasher, do this by adding some cold water to a basin rather than running the tap.
7. Fully load dishwashers and washing machines and use eco settings where possible
8. Reuse excess water from washing vegetables to use as cooking water
9. Only fill the kettle to the exact amount you need
10. Use a bucket and sponge to clean cars, rather than using the hose
11. Introduce water butts into the garden. Rainwater has benefits for your plants too as it adds nitrogen to the soil.