Go Back

Be a Savings Slueth

A leaky faucet doesn't look like much of a problem. Just a few drops disappearing down the drain. But did you know that in just one year those drops can fill a bath tub? A pretty big tub too. In fact a group of baby elephants can take a bath in a tub that big.

Here's a way to find out how much water is wasted in one year from one leaky faucet. And if it’s a hot water leak, you're wasting costly energy, too. You'll also find out just how many baby elephants we're talking about:

Step 1--- Put a measuring cup under a leaky faucet for 15 minutes (If you don't have a leaky faucet, good for you. You're not wasting any water. But to do this experiment you could turn the faucet on just enough to drip).

Step 2--- Multiply the number of ounces of water that the measuring cup collected by four. That is the amount of water being wasted every hour.

Step 3--- Multiply the amount of water wasted in an hour by 24. That's the amount of water being wasted very day.

Step 4--- Now multiply the amount being wasted by 365. That's how many ounces of water are dripping down the drain every year.

Step 5--- To find out how many gallons that is divide the number by 128.

Step 6--- Now, how many baby elephants can take a bath in that much water? (Hint: Divide the number of gallons by 600 for the answer.)

Other ways to save

If you have a hot water leak it needs to be fixed. The Department of Energy reports that up to 20% of the energy used in your home is used to make hot water. Saving that energy can save your family a lot of money. Find out if your family is following these tips.

To save water you can buy low flow faucets and shower heads. They'll help you cut the amount of water that you usually use in half!

Using an electric water heater is the most expensive way to heat your home's water. To save energy it should be replaced by a water heater with the same fuel that you use to heat your home.

If you have a dishwasher, make sure that it's full before using it. And you'll use less water if you take showers rather than baths.

Your water heater and pipes should be wrapped with insulation. That way the hot water won't cool off before it comes out of your faucet.

Go Back