When you conserve water at home, it lowers your utility bill, and it also helps out your community and the world. Even though 71 percent of our planet is covered in water, less than 1 percent of that is available for human use! Though reducing your water usage may be important to you, you might also be unsure of what actually works, what doesn’t, and what will be realistic for your lifestyle. That’s why we’ve put together this list of practical water-saving tips below.

Even implementing just a few of these tips will help you lower your water bill and conserve one of our planet’s most precious resources.

1. Add an aerator to your sink faucets.

A lot of water can go down the drain while you spend 20 seconds or more properly washing your hands. An aerator goes right into the mouth of your faucet and saves water by narrowing its opening while also injecting air into the water that comes out. What you feel is a steady stream of water, but what you get is lower water usage. The EPA reports that families that add aerators to all of their faucets save roughly 700 gallons annually.

2. Insulate your hot water pipes.

How long do you spend waiting for hot water to reach your sink or shower? If your water heater is far away from the point of use (your faucet), the hot water can get cold before it reaches you because it transfers heat to the cold pipes around it. By insulating your water pipes, you’ll reduce the heat loss that occurs. Not only will your hot water arrive faster, but you’ll also be able to lower your water temperature setting on your water heater and save on your energy bill.

3. Water your yard at the right time.

According to the EPA, we lose as much as 50 percent of the water we use outside due to wind, evaporation, and run-off. The culprits are inefficient irrigation systems and methods. Most experts agree that the best time of day to water your lawn and landscaping is early in the morning. This will give the water enough time to soak in before heat makes it evaporate, and you’ll have a better chance of avoiding fungus and mildew problems that you may get if you water at night.

4. Water your yard the correct amount.

While you may be watering at the best time of the day, it’s just as important to ensure that you’re not overwatering. Unless you have particularly thirsty plants, your landscape should only require one inch of water weekly, including any rainfall that occurs. Try to set schedule your sprinklers to come on twice a week and to supply half an inch of water during each session.

If you’re not sure how long your sprinklers need to run to supply half an inch of water, try this trick recommended by the EPA:

• Set out shallow cans (such as tuna cans or cat food cans) around your lawn.
• Switch on your sprinklers and keep a stopwatch or a timer going.
• Mark the amount of time it takes to fill those cans with half an inch of water. That will be how long your sprinklers should run on a biweekly basis.

5. Use your dishwasher rather than handwashing.

It may seem completely counterintuitive, but handwashing typically uses more water than running a full load of dishes in your dishwasher! In fact, ENERGY STAR certified dishwashers save nearly 5,000 gallons of water a year compared to handwashing–and they use less than half as much energy.

For dependable water heater installations and repairs, you can count on our experts at Payless Water Heaters: (866) 615-4008.