Save Water, Save Energy

There was a time when I was puzzled by the way Greens would get all worked up about saving water.

Yeah, sure, it's important not to waste it when you live in a water-stressed area (which is most anywhere these days) but what did it have to do with environmentalists?

Eventually I worked it out. There are 2 reasons basically:

• When supplies get low, the water companies tend to 'abstract' from the local rivers i.e. take it to top up their reservoirs. Unfortunately this can reduce the rivers to very low levels. Which can have a serious impact on the wildlife in and around them.
• Every litre of water we get from our taps comes with an energy footprint: It needs pumping from the river/reservoir/well; It needs treating to remove impurities; and then pumping to your home. And that energy obviously has a carbon footprint.

In short, saving water helps protect the environment and combat climate change.

On a more personal level, saving water also saves the customer money. Obvious, if you have a water meter (As we're about to get), but you can also save money on your energy bills if you use less hot water.

Yes, that water meter has got me thinking. I've heard they tend to mean increased water bills for families. Not a great prospect what with our bills generally increasing above inflation year on year (heating, electric, food, and petrol), while our income stands still.

So we'll be using every water saving trick we can: Fewer baths: shorter showers; less toilet flushing: 'hippos' in the toilet cisterns; not leaving taps running; Using water butts for the garden; etc.

I'll keep you posted on how we do.