Water Conservation Tips

Now that the weather is beginning to warm up, water use is on the rise.  With water use being a hot topic for Southern California homeowners, we decided to give you a few water conservation tips you may want to use:

1. Sprinkler use - Set your sprinklers on a timer.  You can pick one up at any home improvement store.  Use your sprinklers only during the cooler times of the day (early morning or late evening).  This helps reduce water evaporation during the heat of the day.  Make sure to adjust the sprinkler settings so they aren't watering the driveways or sidewalks. 

2. Mother Nature - Consider placing a rain sensor on your irrigation equipment to avoid sprinklers from coming on when it rains.

3. Responsible landscaping - Plant drought-resistent plants, such as cactus, baby's breath, petunias, verbenas, marigolds and zinnias, just to name a few.

4. Washing clothes - Replace old appliances with new Energy Star® appliances.  They use 30-50% less water and many local utility companies are offering rebates when you replace older appliances with newer, more efficient appliances.

5. Cleaning your driveway and sidewalks - A broom and good old-fashioned elbow grease can get the job done without wasting precious water, like the hose or a power washer can.

6. Toilets - Low flush toilets use 1.6 gallons of water to flush with verses 3.5 gallons with standard toilets.  Switching to a low-flow toilet can save you over $100 per year on utility costs.

7. Showers - Replace your old showerhead with a water-efficient model.  This can save up to 750 gallons of water per month.

Since Southern Californians have been in a drought for years now, these water conservation tips can help ease water usage and make what we do have last longer.  Please do your part to help with water conservation.