Water
Change the way
you use water, save energy
Heating of domestic water consumes the most energy in households after heating the dwelling. Households use very different amounts of water. Most of the hot water is used in the bathroom, but you should also pay attention to the way you use water in the kitchen.
Six ways to save water:
- Make a quick shower – do not extend your showers excessively. A daily shower of 15 minutes costs approximately EUR 450 per year, while a quick but efficient 5-minute shower does not cost more than about EUR 150 per year.
- Only wash full loads of laundry and dishes. Consider if airing the clothes would suffice instead of washing them. This will also extend the life cycle of clothes.
- When doing the dishes, wash and rinse the dishes in a basin, not under running water.
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- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. If you brush your teeth for 2 minutes with the water running, you waste 12 litres of water. Brushing your teeth twice a day every day of the year means wasting 8,760 litres of water a year.
- Keep a bottle or jug filled with water in the refrigerator. This way you will have fresh and cool drinking water instantly available without needing to run water from the tap until its cool.
Eliminate water leaks
Make sure that you do not have a leaky toilet or tap. A leaking tap or toilet can waste up to hundreds of litres of water per month. Report any leaks as soon as possible.
To reveal a leaky toilet:
- Wait for 15 minutes after flushing.
- Place a piece of toilet paper on the rear wall inside the toilet bowl.
- If the paper gets wet from side to side in less than half a minute, contact your building service company. If the paper gets wet in a few seconds, you should have the toilet repaired immediately.
Use a dual flush button
The toilet uses 6 litres of water per flush, and old models use even up to 9–12 litres of water/flush. The dual flush button in new toilet seats saves water:
- Full flush 4 litres
- Half flush 1.5–2 litres
Water your balcony plants smartly
Water the flowers and other plants you are growing on your balcony on a cloudy day, early in the morning or in the evening after the sunset. This way, sunshine will not make the water evaporate immediately, and the plant absorbs all the water you give.
Hot water is
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Further information on the topic
Responsible water use (FI)
(Consumers’ Union of Finland)
Bringing water use under control (FI)
(Environment now/ELY Centre for Southwest Finland)