Water Waste Concerns: Why Saving Water for Summer Months is Key

America is getting serious about water efficiency, and topics like water conservation or water waste are becoming common household topics. The overall idea is to help Americans conform to global initiatives to protect the planet. One of the main goals is conserving water for use during the summer months in regular homes.

Although there are other systems for water saving and reuse for the winter months, many government rebates for water conserving focus on summer months as a starting point

[su_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1cI0WuEmFI&feature=youtu.be" width="540" height="340"]Reasons Summer Water Conservation is a Concern

When you want to help the public get involved in a major change that affects their daily lives in some small way, you do not want the initial steps to be complicated. Since freezing water complicates machinery and breaks pipes, focusing on summer water collection is a fundamental component in water conservation.

Once a homeowner is doing well with summer water collecting, more advanced winter methods can and should be introduced. To make sure everyone tries to conserve water, there are often rebates offered at the city, state and federal levels that reimburse homeowners for the cost of water saving equipment or make it available at a low-cost.

How much does water waste cost cities?

Generally speaking, it is reported that, in most cases, up to 35-percent of the electricity consumed by a city or municipality is for water, sewage and waste water management.

This is a significant cost on its own, and it is increased when there are water-related disasters. Sadly, this is not the only problem some waste water management companies are dealing with, and it is the reason you may have seen an increase in your sewage bill or property taxes.

Bizarre Weather has City Sewers Stressed Out

We have all heard on the news that global warming is causing the weather to behave strangely, and it is the city storm drains and sewers that are getting the brunt.

Apparently, municipalities are pushing water saving as part of a federal initiative, but sometimes cities need citizens to start collecting rainwater because the sewer and storm systems are on the verge of collapsing.

From a municipality's perspective, part of the reason they might be overbearing about installing water saving and rainwater collection units is due to an overtaxed combined sewer and storm system that could cause a public health crisis if it continues to be overused.

Problems resulting from a broken sewage or storm drain system include outbreaks of waterborne illnesses such as cholera or typhoid that are more difficult to control in the summer.

Other Ways to Help Decrease the Water/Electricity Cycle in the Summer

In addition to collecting water and purifying it, water heating is another area of energy concern. This is why so many homeowners are installing partial or full solar panels.

Especially in the summer, homeowners can ease the burden on local electric and water companies by heating water with solar. Like other forms of energy-saving appliances or home techniques that focus on utility use, solar panels are often covered by rebates at the local, state and federal taxation levels.

Advanced Ideas for Saving Water in Summer

Water efficiency is high-tech, and there are many pieces of engineering that are extremely sophisticated. While you may not understand the machinery, these water saving devices are often practical.

For example, one idea that is becoming more commonplace is hot water on demand. These devices are installed in areas of the home where hot water is used, and the water is heated by gas within the device instead of sitting in a hot water tank (and being repeatedly reheated during times of day where it is not being used).

Other ideas for decreasing your hardship on utilities is to install water filtration tanks that purify the waste water you use and turn it into drinkable water. One final advanced idea that has become refined in the past ten years is the sewer-free composting toilet.

Take the first steps to get government rebates for water efficiency.

When you contact your local office about starting water collection or water efficiency, they might give you a kit with all of the relevant information and a few devices such as a water timer or faucet attachment. However, to start collecting rebates, the help of a contractor might be involved.

The contractor can help you locate the appropriate part and file all of the necessary paperwork so that the maximum rebate is awarded to you.

In addition to receiving rebates from their office, they may have other information about grants or scholarships to help you get money for other water efficiency projects.

Types of Water-Related Government Discounts for Homeowners

Once you take the initial steps of contacting a local energy-saving agency, they will give you details about other programs. For example, there are rebates for installing solar panels or installing Energy Star approved appliances that have a high SEER rating. As for water-related programs that offer rebates to homeowners, common ones include the following.

• Pool cover
• Rainwater barrel
• water waste technology
• Pressure regulating valve
• Watering timer
• Rebates for water saving landscaping

Although it is not offered in all cities, there are rebates that address the fact that sewers are overtaxed because there is too much concrete in some areas and too much grass in others. Instead of asking homeowners to stop watering their lawns and cover it with concrete (which can add to the “heat island” effect in summer), cities instead would prefer that homeowners cover the ground in their yards with rocks.

This allows for the ground to absorb rainwater and also discourages homeowners from using a garden hose or sprinklers to water the lawn. For garden watering, homeowners can use their rainwater collection tank as a source.

Let us help you get rainwater harvesting rebates and more!

When you want to convert your home to be more energy efficient, it helps to have a pro on your side that can help you make the right decisions to get the rebates you deserve.

At Bud's Plumbing & Repair Service in Evansville, IN, we are happy to help you complete these projects quickly and with the high-quality materials or techniques that help you save money on utilities. To get started, give us a call at (812) 618-9638 today!