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Save water to save energy
Water systems use a whopping 19% of the electricity in California. Dry landscaping could save you 357 lbs a year, or about the same as 8 CFL’s Looking for a new idea to fight climate change? Maybe you’re just starting to act on climate change, and have plenty of previous TerraPass conservation tips on your to-do list. Maybe you’ve gone way overboard and are starting to stealthily replace your neighbors light bulbs with CFLs. Well, in either case, a new place to look for savings doesn’t involve a power cord. It’s your water use. Water is energy, and by saving water, we can make a dent in our energy consumption and save a precious natural resource. The numbers (pdf) for California are eye opening:
The last one is a shocker. Energy use in water systems is measured in kilowatt-hours per million gallons (kwh/MG). Southern California is estimated to use 12,700 kwh/MG — just 9% more efficient than desalinizing sea water! So what can you do? Here’s are some basic tips and the carbon savings associated for them. I’ve included a spreadsheet so you can adjust your own calculations. Fix leaks. Leaks are the water-equivalent of leaving the lights on. A leaky toilet wastes 200 gallons a day. Over a year that could add up to 73,000 gallons, enough to fill a couple of swimming pools. Stopping that leak in SoCal saves 557 lbs of CO2, or the equivalent savings of replacing 13 incandescent bulbs with CFLs. You may be aware that Londoners are struggling with the loss of over 50% of their water. Clearly this is a place to focus. Be water conscious. Take a low-flow showerhead as an example. It saves 12 gallons per shower, or 33 lbs of CO2 per year, almost as much a CFL. This doesn’t even count the savings from lower hot water heating costs! Native Landscaping. This is a biggie. The typical sprinkler system uses 5 gallons per minute. Dry landscaping could save you 357 lbs of CO2, or the same impact as 8 CFLs. Plus, there’s a good chance you won’t have to mow! Next week, we’ll take a look at the some of the systems coming into homes that may provide some cool ideas for saving water…and energy. Tags: energy conservation, Water conservation
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Comments3.
Comment by Brian
@ Jun 13, 2007 7 AM
 Only one problem with dry landscaping in Texas - it’s CRAZY hot down here. We try to use trees, etc., to keep the yard and house cool. This tends to save more energy than what we consume via water consumption. However, I am open to reason - any nifty reference sites on this subject? 4.
Comment by Tony Tribby
@ Jun 13, 2007 7 AM
Yeah, it seemed like the dry landscaping suggestion was just a throwaway here, while it could have been a very good idea if fleshed out a bit better. 5.
Comment by Tracy Ball
@ Jun 13, 2007 7 AM
Tony - Looking forward to your research on the idea. 6.
Comment by Natalie
@ Jun 13, 2007 8 AM
I work in Water Conservation and had to put my two cents in to the conversation. In a dry climate, low water landscaping works and saves tons of water. Use native plants or low water plants that work well in your natural climate. This is the best way to save water, since more than 50% of water is used outdoors. If you follow The 7 Steps of Xeriscape, your landscape with save water and still look good. Get more info here: Xeriscape Colorado Energy Star appliances like Dishwashers and Front-Loading Washers also save tons of water. Another easy way to save water is to buy a new toilet. Any toilet manufactured before 1994 use too much water per flush (up to 7 gallons). Many water providers give rebates for the purchase of new water saving appliances. 7.
Comment by Jonathan
@ Jun 13, 2007 9 AM
Graywater use is a great way to irrigate landscape plants or lawns (if you must). Resident W. lives in Texas and his ranch regularly uses graywater. I also capture rainwater off the roof in tanks for irrigation. Some folks even use rainwater for domestic use. 8.
Comment by Ilana
@ Jun 13, 2007 10 AM
What’s interesting about these California statistics is that the “embedded energy” in water differs depending on location. In San Francisco and for others who use SFPUC’s water, practically no energy is used because of the beautiful law of gravity bringing us water from Hetch Hetchy. (Of course this doesn’t mean we should start wasting water ;) Another consideration is the energy used to heat water for showers, dish and clothes washing, energy and water wasted by using sink disposals (ok I am getting off topic, sorry) :) 9.
Comment by Tracy
@ Jun 13, 2007 10 AM
Inspired by a New York Times article, we built an outdoor shower that’s basically an inexpensive, permanent camping shower. The nozzle is definitely low-flow, and we route the run-off to irrigate plants. It’s great in the summer! I was happy to save water and natural gas, but I had wondered about the energy for pumping it. After reading the blog, I’m even happier. 10.
Comment by Anonymous
@ Jun 13, 2007 3 PM
The complexity of this confounds me sometimes. Planting trees helps reduce carbon, but watering them uses electricity. Eating local food uses less energy, but irrigation to produce food in the dry west is highly problematic. I’m trying to understand better the big picture of the situation and what it should mean about the choices I make, Like—growing my own vegetables means using more water, but also means that I’m producing the most local food possible. Does this offset the water use? I just finished reading “Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water.” At times it seems that the answer is “Get thee, all of you, out of the Desert! You don’t belong!” But, that’s not a very viable answer, and I suspect the answer is HOW we use the water we have: Growing things that make sense to grow in the climate we live in, using good conservation practices, including graywater and rainwater collection. Thanks for the article. 11.
Comment by Chad
@ Jun 15, 2007 8 AM
This does seem to be a very “California-centric” article. Not all of us live out west, where an absurd influx of people to a place with little water has created, quite predicatably, enormous problems. I live in Michigan, and feel no qualms at all about using water. If we ever run out, the world is coming to an end and we are all doomed anyway. Energy is another matter entirely, which I handle through offsets and conservation. 12.
Comment by RideTheFuture
@ Jun 20, 2007 10 AM
Hey Chad, LOVE that attitude! They should maybe name, say, a lake after you for the incentive of your resourcefulness in saving the planet - oh wait- they already have!! Awwww- too bad i’s almost gone by - not enough water ;-) 13.
Comment by Alex
@ Jun 20, 2007 1 PM
I am not sure if “Ride the Future” is aware of it, but Lake Chad is in AFRICA. Last time that I checked, Africa is a long way from blogger Chad’s home in Michigan. I do not think that Chad is advocating for us to drain any lakes, but rather pointing out that people should not scratch their heads so much when a lot of energy is consumed to transport enough water to the desert for the roughly 9 million people in L.A. alone… Maybe “Ride” should try walking on water… What you said about consumers using high efficiency water conserving fixtures is correct. many people do not realize the vast impact that personal measures can have on both their water consumption and out of pocket expenses. An excellent source for ultra-low flow toilets, efficient showerheads and faucet aerators is AquaPro Solutions (www.aquaprosolutions.com), a global resource for water conservation and filtration technologies. 15.
Comment by Anon
@ Dec 12, 2007 2 PM
i save water with these simple tools a drain plug and a bucket. reusuing the daily shower water to flush the toliet saving my four family household 22,000 gallons of water per year. 16.
Comment by Mike
@ May 5, 2008 9 AM
A lot of people don’t draw that connection between water savings and energy savings. I save money on my water bill by using a front loading washing machine, they use like 1/3 the water of top loaders. I want to install a gray water system in my house to flush toilets and water the plants outside, but its expensive and time consuming. Luckly there are cheap things i can do to save energy(and therefore money) around the home. Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer. The use of a rain barrel allows you to access a free supply of water during the driest months of the year. http://garden-pond-accents.blogspot.com/2008/05/great-new-pictures-of-my-rain-barrel.html I recommend this easy and Inexpensive solution to saving water, time, and energy; install a Hot Water Lobster Instant Hot Water Valve under the sink farthest form your water heater and you will have instant hot water throughout your entire home. It’s a great way to save water that’s normally wasted down the drain while waiting for hot water. The savings in water and energy easily recoups the initial $179.95 purchase price! More impressive is the convenience of instant hot water! The Hot Water Lobster uses no electricity and is pump free, so it creates no noise. It is made in the U.S.A., has a 10-year warranty, and can be easily installed in under 10 minutes. Check it out at: Post a commentSearch the TerraPass blogTurn your old cellphones and PDAs into a FREE TerraPass. |
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The link to your water use spreadsheet is not working.