Heating bills can be hard to handle in the winter but saving water can help Santa Feans lower their utility bills, the City of Santa Fe Water Conservation Office announced today.
“From the homeowner’s perspective, it’s pretty simple; reduce the amount of hot water you use and you reduce the amount of energy you use to make the hot water,” said (someone)
Heating water for showering, bathing, shaving, cooking, and cleaning requires a considerable amount of energy. Residents with electric water heaters spend one-fourth of their total electric bills just to heat water.
Cheap faucet aerators, installed for a few dollars, can save 700 gallons of water a year and enough electricity to run the hairdryer every day.
“Just by replacing your standard showerhead with a low-flow showerhead, the average family can save enough water in a year to wash 70 loads of laundry and save enough energy to power a home for 13 days,” somebody said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports the United States could save nearly $5.1 billion a year in water and energy costs if every home in the United States replaced existing showerheads with models carrying the WaterSense label, used on independently tested appliance that meet EPA water efficiency and performance criteria. That dollar figures includes the massive amount of energy and water used to generate power.
The electrical power industry is the largest user of water in the United States, even surpassing agriculture. Thermoelectric generating plants — almost all coal, nuclear, geothermal, solar thermal electric, and many natural gas power plants – use water when they generate electricity because they use steam-driven generators. In addition, vast amounts of water are used to cool the power plants.
“Of course, the use of all water – hot or cold – uses energy because water utilities must use energy to deliver the water to homes,” said somebody.
On average, the annual energy used to deliver and treat water for only 10 households could power a refrigerator for more than two years. Reducing the demand for water reduces the energy needed to treat and deliver it.
Here are some other ways to help you save this winter:
- Go to www.savewatersantafe.com to use our quick and easy water calculator to figure out how much water you use in the home.
- Learn to repair faucets so that drips can be corrected promptly.
- Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. This will save energy, water, detergent and money.
- Turn off the faucet for brushing teeth.
- Don’t let the water run to “heat it up.”