Frequently Asked Questions

Conserving Water and Energy helps future generations. What can you do to help?

What ’s Happening in your Community and how can you help?

Your housing community invested in a cleaner environment for you and your children. The new water and energy savings equipment installed in your home will help protect the planet, now and in the future. Your efforts to save water and energy at home make it all work!

New vs. Old water fixture comparison (fixtures may vary at your community)

gpf (gallons per flush); gpm (gallons per minute)

Why Save Water?

Water is a precious resource in short supply. When you save water you save money. You can save up to $15 each month — over $180 per year — by saving water.

More water flows through the bathroom than any other room. The toilet alone can use 27 percent and the shower nearly 17 percent of your home’s water.

Where Can You Save Water?

In the kitchen

Turn off the faucet when you’re not using the water while doing dishes.

In the bathroom

Take short showers instead of baths. An average bath requires 30–50 gallons of water. A 5-minute shower with a low-flow shower head saves about 12 gallons per shower.
Turn off the faucet when you’re not using water while brushing your teeth.
Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket.

In the laundry room

Wash only full loads of laundry.

In general

Leaving water run when you’re not using it wastes hundreds of gallons a month. Turn off the faucet.
Report water leaks as soon as possible.

Why Save Energy?

You and your neighbors may pay $2,000 a year for electricity and gas, and maybe more. Unfortunately, a lot of energy is wasted. You can save $25 or more each month—over $300 per year—by saving electricity and heating gas.

How can you save energy?

Keep your programmable thermostats set at optimum saving temperatures:
– In cold weather at 68° or lower
– In warm weather at 75° or higher
You save about 3 percent of your monthly heating costs for each degree you lower your thermostat in the winter.
Close windows and doors when the air conditioning or heat is on.
Use fans when possible. Fans can make it feel 4° cooler.
Turn off lights, computers and TVs when you leave the room.
Unplug chargers when not in use.
Use sunlight for lighting when possible.
Close the blinds and shades when it’s hot outside. In the winter, open them when the sun is shining.
Wash clothes in cold water. A quarter of your heating bill can be from heating hot water.

When you save water, you save energy too!

Pumping and treating the water that comes to your faucet and goes down the drain uses lots of energy.

Nearly 3 percent of our nation’s energy is used for drinking water and wastewater services at a cost of about $4 billion per year. This adds about 45 million tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere per year.

If you use water wisely and take simple steps to save energy, you can save your family up to $480 or more per year. You’ll also help save the planet.

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