Average indoor water use

Source: Handbook of Water Use and Conservation, Amy Vickers

Follow the tips below for saving water indoors.

 Also take an online tour to learn ways to save water in each area of your home.

Bathroom
Bathroom use accounts for about 75 percent of the water used inside the home.

• Check regularly for any leaks in your toilet, faucets and water hose bibs and fix them. Water saved: up to 200 gallons per day.
• Install a low-flow showerhead. Water saved: about 2 gallons per minute.
• Replace older, larger-use toilets with the newer higher efficiency toilets. Water saved: .5 to 5 gallons per flush.
• Take short showers and save the baths for special occasions. Water saved: 2 to 5 gallons per minute.

 

Did you know?

At many households the single-biggest water user are automated irrigation systems. These sprinkler systems can make up 60 percent or more of the water used in homes in Central Texas. Find out how to water your landscape efficiently.

Kids can save water too!

Saving water is something all of us can do — no matter if you are age 2 or 102! See if you are already doing some things to save water. I can save water!

Kitchen
About 8 percent of in-home water use takes place in the kitchen.

 

• Don't rinse dishes before loading dishwasher. Water saved: 20 gallons per load.
• Wash only full loads in the dishwasher. An efficient dishwasher usually uses much less water than washing dishes by hand.
• Install a low-flow faucet aerator, which can cut water use in half. Water saved: 1 to 2 gallons per minute.
• When buying a new dishwasher, consider purchasing a water-saving model. (New models use up to 25 percent less water than older ones.) Water saved: 3 gallons per load.

Around the house

• Wash only full loads in the clothes washer. Washing small loads uses over twice as much water per pound of laundry.
• When buying a new clothes washer, consider purchasing a water-saving model. Water saved: up to 40 gallons per load.
• Insulate hot water pipes where possible to avoid long delays (and wasted water) while waiting for the water to "run hot." When building a new home, keep the distance short between the hot water heater and showers and other places that hot water is used.

Think you've sprung a leak?

• How to check for a water leak.
• Download LCRA's Household Leak Detection and Repair brochure. (Help downloading PDF documents.)

Outdoor
See our landscape irrigation tips page for how to water efficiently, and our gardening page for tips on preparing your garden to withstand hot Texas summers by doing things such as applying mulch and compost.

Contact us
For more information on LCRA's water conservation programs or publications, please call (512) 473-3200, Ext. 7471 or, toll free at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7471, or e-mail us through Ask LCR