Although we had an ample amount of rainfall over the weekend, Georgians still need to conserve the water we use in our homes. Sustainability expert Tommy Linstroth offers three simple steps every homeowner or renter can take to cut water consumption by nearly 30%!

1 – Toilets


The problem: Toilets installed after 1992 use 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF). If they were installed before 1992 (and there are millions of them out there!), they use 3.5 GPF.

The solution: Install a dual flush toilet. Dual flush toilets feature two flush options, one for liquid waste and another for solid waste. Thus when less water is needed, you can use the lower-flush option. Dual flush toilets typically use 0.8 GPF for liquid waste and the standard 1.6 GPF for solid waste (though the most efficient versions use 1.28 GPF for solid waste). These toilets average water use throughout the course of the day is 1 GPF – a savings of 37%! If you are switching from a pre-1992 toilet (that uses 3.5 GPF) – that is a savings of 72%! Now we’re getting somewhere.

2 – Showerheads


The problem – Standard showerheads installed after 1992 use 2.5 gallons of water per minute (GPM). Older showerheads can use double that. So every 10 minute shower uses 25 gallons of water.

The solution – switch to low flow showerheads. What was once a phrase spat with contempt, low flow showerheads have come leaps and bounds from 10 years ago. Today’s low flow showerheads use 1.5 or 1.75 GPM of water – a savings of 40%, or a gallon for every minute you are in the shower. Those savings easily add up when you look at households of 4 that have multiple showers a day. Be careful though, almost every 2.5 GPM shower still advertises itself as “low flow”. This misnomer must be carefully examined when you are shopping for new showerheads.

3 – Aerators


The problem – every sink comes with an aerator installed – its what allows the water to come out in a confined manner, rather than spraying all over the sink. Unfortunately, most faucets come with an aerator that allows 2.2 gallons per minute. A standard shower (which you’ve already converted to low-flow!) uses 2.5 gallons per minute. That means your bathroom sink is putting out almost as much water as your shower! While you may need more than a gallon of water to wash your entire body, you do not need that much water to wash your hands and face, shave, or brush your teeth.

The solution: Faucet aerators are the 3 dollar solution – simply go to your nearest hardware store and purchase a 1 gpm or even better 0.5 gpm aerator, bring it to your home or office, unscrew the existing one, and replace it with the low-flow version. Instant water savings, over 50% (or 75% with 0.5 gpm versions) for less than 3 bucks and 3 minutes of your time. Replacing faucet aerators is the easiest and most cost effective mechanism that each and every one of us can do in our homes and places of employment.

Tommy Linstroth is the Principal of Trident Sustainability Group, a full-service sustainability and green building consulting firm that focuses on providing triple bottom line solutions to a diverse range of clients both locally and nationwide.