IceAdvice

Water is seen as abundant in the UK, but this is not always the case. In summer, many UK regions experience frequent water shortages. Environment Agency figures show that there is less water available per person in the UK than in Spain or Portugal.

When more water is used in homes, less is available in rivers, lakes and wetlands and this can be damaging to the environment and wildlife. When water levels in rivers fall, birds can lose their food sources and oxygen levels for fish can become dangerously low.

Treating and heating water for domestic use also uses a lot of energy, contributing to climate change. By reducing domestic water usage you can lessen the amount of energy required to treat your water, and lower your emissions.

There are a number of simple measures that you can take to help reduce your water consumption.

1. Turn off all taps when not in use and repair any leaking taps by replacing any worn seals. A leaking tap can waste between 30 and 200 litres of water a day.

2. Only use as much water as you need. For example: when washing vegetables run a little water into a bowl and wash the vegetables in this rather than leaving the tap running. When brushing your teeth, turn off the tap after wetting your toothbrush. When boiling food, use only as much water as you need and keep a lid on your saucepans.

3. New power showers can use as much water in five minutes as is used by a bath, so consider fitting a low-flow aerator showerhead. By adding air to the shower, these showerheads use less water to achieve power-shower pressure. Aerator taps are also available.

4. Insulating pipes will reduce the need to run off cold water before hot water starts. This will not only save you money on your water bill but will also reduce your heating bills and your emissions.

5. Place a water-saving device in your toilet cistern. This will reduce the amount of water that your toilet uses on each flush. If you’re choosing a new model, go for a water-efficient one. A large range of water-efficient products are available in the Home & Garden section of Shop with Ice.

6. When watering outdoor plants, water at dawn or dusk to reduce water loss from evaporation.

7. When choosing plants for your garden, look for varieties that don’t need a huge amount of water and are fairly resilient to drought. Examples include thyme, evening primrose, California poppy and lavender.

8. Mulches such as wood chippings, bark and gravel help to retain soil moisture by reducing evaporation. They also suppress weed growth.

9. Harvesting rainwater will reduce your demand for mains water in the garden. See the next section to learn more.

To reduce your demand for mains-supplied water, consider collecting your own. There are many ways to collect rainwater, from leaving a few buckets outside to collect enough to clean your car to fully integrated systems that store rainwater from the roof of your property for flushing toilets and filling your washing machine.

Ice has partnered with companies to offer customers a wide range of rainwater-harvesting systems. To help you decide what’s best for you, and to find out how much these systems cost, visit the Home & Garden section of Shop with Ice.