Water Conservation Checklist for the Home

Be Water-Conscious When You Make Purchase Decisions picture of a checkbox

If you do not do or do not plan to do the task, leave the boxes blank.

When Selecting New Equipment:
Have
Done 		Will
Do 		 
Install and use low-volume showerheads.
Select a dishwasher and clothes washer based in part on water requirements and with options for water levels. Consider a suds-saver to reuse water.
Select water-saving toilets. In areas where severe water problems exist, bioconversion toilets may be an answer.
Smaller than standard bath tubs may meet your needs and save water.
Select a water heater sized for family needs, and insulated to prevent heat loss.
Select the most effective type of watering hose for your needs—soaker hose or drip irrigation, if appropriate.
Locate water heater near area where hottest water is needed, usually in the kitchen/laundry area.
If remodeling or building, locate the hot water heater as close as possible to bathroom, kitchen, and laundry areas. The closer to the faucet the heater is, the less water has to be run through pipes.
For this reason, it is sometimes better to have two smaller water heaters: one located in the kitchen area, and one in the bathroom area when the distances between the two areas are great.
Plan landscaping and gardening to minimize watering requirements.

Check out these web sites for more information:

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Adapted in part from Extension Service-USDA Program Aid Number 1102.

Texas Water Resources InstituteCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service logoTexas AgriLife Extension Service logo

Adapted and written by Janie L. Harris, M.Ed., CRS, Extension Housing and Environment Specialist, and edited by Bev Kellner, Extension Assistant, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M System, College Station, Texas.

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Last updated: 26 July, 2010

Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin.