Water Saving Tips

Water is one of the most essential elements that we need in our everyday lives. United Arab Emirates suffers from a scarce rainfall season, therefore, it is very important for us to monitor the overall consumption of water, whether it was inside or outside our homes, at school or at the workplace.

Inside the House

How can we reduce water consumption at home?

While Washing

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth and use a big glass of water instead of running water
• Turn off the tap while washing your face or while shaving
• Use a water flow regulator to reduce the amount of water consumed

In the Shower

• Use the shower instead of filling the basin with water. If you insist on using it, make sure you do not over fill it .
• Use the low flow spray
• Use spray regulator or a bolt to stop water flow while washing

In the Kitchen

• Wash fruits and vegetables in a water filled basin or bowl to reduce water consumption while washing
• Leave frozen foods out for a proper amount of time to defrost instead of pouring water over them
• Use the exact amount of water needed for drinking purposes or coffee or tea preparation
• When washing dishes, it is preferable to wash them in a basin filled with water. As for the dishes that need vigorous cleaning, it is recommended to soak the dishes in water for a short amount of time before washing them
• Make sure that the dishwashing machine is fully loaded before turning it on. It is useless turning the machine on for one or two plates.
• Taps and water pipes should be checked on a regular basis to detect any possible leakage

Outside the House

In the Garden

• Use the spray or drip irrigation system for irrigation to limit the consumption of water. Both methods are considered modern methods that use the least amount of water.

While Washing the Car

• It is recommended to use at least two buckets of water to wash your car instead of using a water hose.

Swimming Pools

Swimming pools consumes large amount of water especially when they are big in size. Therefore it is recommended to follow these useful tips:

• Always make sure that the water level in the swimming pool is low
• Cover  the swimming pool with a suitable shade to decrease evaporation rates,
• Check the walls of the swimming pool and the drainage system constantly to monitor any leakage.

At School

• Never use water as a playing tool.
• Inform your teacher in case of leakage.
• Advise the gardener to use spray irrigation techniques.

Water Saver

Water Saver helps in reducing the overall amount of water consumed by the individual. The water saver mixes the water coming out of the tap with air which automatically reduces the amount of water leaving the tap but still feels like you are using the same amount used before.

The water saver can be installed behind the showerhead. In addition, you can also install a bolt that is used to control water flow which can either be turned on or off when taking a shower.

Method to Calculate Consumption:

There are Two Sections in the Water Meter

• One section is white with figures in black.
• The other section is red with figures in white.

Any figure in the white section refers to cubic meter or unit. The units for figures in the red section are liters.

For example:
Reading is 1234.56 unit
This means 1234 cubic meter and 56 liters

How to Calculate Consumption

• Read the meter for two consecutive days.
• Subtract the first reading form the second reading.
• The difference between the two readings indicates the consumption of one day.
• If the difference between the two readings is  for more that one day, it should be divided by number of days to get the daily consumption and number of persons to get consumption per capita.

How to Calculate Consumption for One Day

Example: March 1-31

Number of days between the two readings = 30 days

Number of family members is five

Consumption, the difference between the two readings, is 45 cubic meters

Daily consumption = 45/30 = 1.5 cubic meter / day support number of the family members is 5

Consumption per capita = 1.5/5 = 0.3 cubic meter/ person/day

   Electricity Conservation Tips

Electricity is one of the most important resources and one of the discoveries that modern civilization relies heavily upon. Just like any other needed resource, it is important that we learn how to conserve usage of electricity.

Below are simple steps that each one of us can follow to help save electricity

The Air Conditioner

• Conduct inspection and maintenance activities on a regular basis to ensure the air conditioner is operating efficiently and effectively
• Clean the filter once every two weeks. This helps produce cleaner, cooler air and enables lower consumption of electricity
• Close any holes around the AC unit to prevent any leakage of air, which in turn reduces consumption
• Install curtains around the windows to minimize the entry of external heat and reduce the consumption of light as much as possible
• Set the thermometer in the AC unit at 25 degrees Celsius and not below that level.

 How to Save Lighting?

• Switch off the lights when you exit the room
• Switch off the lights in rooms that are not occupied
• Switch off the lights during the day as it is beneficial to rely on sunlight during the day
• Paint the walls with light colors. Light colors reflect light, thereby intensifying the amount of light present in the room
• Use specific lamps that require less electric power to operate. These include florescent lamps and power saving lamps
• Use insulating glass for windows. This enables the entry of the largest amount of natural light and in turn reduces the amount of electricity needed

Advantages of power saving lamps:

• Power savings lamps use up to 80% less power consumption when compared with ordinary lamps. In addition, they produce less heat, thereby requiring less energy consumption by air conditioning units
• The life time of power saving lamps is eight times that of the ordinary lamps. For example, if the lifetime of a normal bulb is 1000 hours, then the lifetime of power saving bulb is 8000 hours

The table below shows the difference in Watt usage between ordinary lamps and power savings lamps. Lower Watt usage means lower energy consumption and therefore, lower bill payment

Home Appliances

Home appliances such as washing machines, driers, irons and others should be used at non-peak hours whenever possible.

Refrigerator

• Tightly close the refrigerator door
• Do not open the refrigerator doors repetitively, especially during the summer season. Keep cold water in an insulated thermos outside the refrigerator. This gives kids, in particular, one less reason to open the refrigerator
• Place the refrigerator in the coolest area of the kitchen. Avoid the warmer spots, especially those that are sunlit or near the oven
• Avoid operating the refrigerator at maximum temperatures. Adjust the temperature to moderate levels that can keep food just as fresh

Washing Machine

1. Avoid operating the washing machine on a daily basis, when possible. Operate the washing machine when the load is medium to heavy. This helps save electricity as well as water
2. Machines that warm up water use up to six times more electricity compared with normal machines

Other appliances (T.V, Video, Recorder, Radio)
Avoid operating all the appliances at once, especially at peak hours (13.00 pm – 16.00pm and 22.00pm – 01.00am). This helps balance electricity load/consumption and prevents potential damage of the machines

The table below reflects the amount of power consumption for other home appliances: