Certain areas of the United States--the Southwest and more recently, the Southeast, experience drought conditions which prohibit or put limits on water use--such as watering your lawn, your garden, or your outdoor plants.
Not only are there restrictions when a drought is declared, but the cost of your water increases. There are several
ways to minimize this cost.
Your Appliances and Fittings
To help conserve water, appliances such as your dishwasher and washing machine should be EnergyStar compliant.
Rainbarrels
Rainbarrels are typically plastic or wooden containers that collect runoff rainwater from your roof, either by sitting on the dripline or by having a gutter spout attached. There's netting/screen on the top to prevent insects, a runoff valve that can be attached to another barrel or pointed to ground location, and a lower valve that usually has a hose connector.
This is the easiest, most cost-effective way of conserving water.
Greywater
Greyater Systems make use of household waste water that comes from sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. Waste water (toilet water) is not suitable for collection, obviously.
Greywater can be used for many things, such as toilet flush water, water for the lawn and gardening.
For more information on greywater, see these sites:
Wikipedia
Pure Energy Systems
Oasis Design
Next topics in this series:
- Installing a Rainbarrel
- Overview of Greywater Systems, including how to build your own
