Welcome to August – the month of more water usage than any other month of the year in the United States. It’s time we identify methods to keep ourplants happy and green and still reduce our appetites for the ubiquitous clearliquid.

On average, an American household uses about 260 gallons per day, but this amount climbs to around 1,000 gallons per day during peak water use season with some households using as much as 3,000 gallons a day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But we can all do more to reduce our water consumption. According to EPA’s WaterSense Program, homeowners can save as much as $110 a year just by following a few tips and making a few changes.

August tends to mean hot, dry weather leading to more yard watering just to keep our plants alive and our neighbors from wondering why we stopped caring for our yards. To save money on your water bills set sprinklers to water your plants only early in the morning or at dusk. Watering in the middle of the day when it is hottest means more of the water will evaporate before being absorbed by vegetation. Purchase a rain gauge and water only one inch of supplemental water in the absence of rain. Your rain gauge will tell you how much water will be needed if your area received rain. Also before watering plants, press your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle and see if it is moist. If the soil is dry and your finger comes out clean, the plant needs water.

If your grass needs water, set up sprinklers in the early morning hours or in the evening and attach timers to them. Nothing wastes more water than forgetting about your sprinkler for hours. Timers are available at most hardware stores and can be as simple as an egg timer mechanism or as technologically advanced as a digital interface. Prices vary so check out reviews online so you can make the most informed decision before purchasing.

Install rain barrels around your home at the ends of gutter downspouts. These barrels will hold rain water for you until your plats are ready to use it. I installed one this summer on our new home and we have barely used our hose at all for our vegetable garden and household plants. Purchase or make a rain barrel which has a spout as close to the bottom as possible. Make sure the barrel has a screen on the top to reduce the number of bugs which can enter the water. To keep any larvae from germinating, add mosquito dunks to the water – they are non-toxic and will not hurt your plants. If the water in the barrel begins to smell at all, do not worry. Add a capful or two of bleach to the water and let it sit for a day before you use it again. Rain barrels offer free water and help reduce runoff in your neighborhood. Some municipalities offer financial help with purchasing these inexpensive barrels and some have tax rebates. Make sure to check with your municipality to see what they offer.

Outdoors isn’t the only place you can save a little water, though. Keep a pitcher of water in your refrigerator so that you always have cold water on hand and you do not have to run the tap water until it is cold. Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes, and scrape dishes instead of rinsing when loading the dishwasher. Lastly, put your favorite handyperson to work fixing leaks around the home, which can waste about 200 gallons per week. Fixing leaks can add up to about $50 in utility bill savings annually.

Renovating or planning to upgrade your kitchen or bath? Look for EPA’s WaterSense label on toilets, faucets and faucet accessories which have helped Americans save more than 9.3 billion gallons of water and realize more than $55 million in savings on water and sewer bills in just 2008. That is enough water to supply 100,000 average households for a year.

By now, you have probably heard about ENERGY STAR, an energy efficiency labeling program operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy – but have you heard about a new program water efficiency program?

WaterSense is a labeling program operated by the U.S. EPA and it’s your opportunity to better the water efficiency in your home and office. Every year, Americans spend upwards of $500 on water and sewer bills, but if we all make the effort to save a little water, we can reduce those bills by as much as $170 in each household and save more than 3 trillion gallons of water across the country!

You might not have thought about it before, but saving water actually reduces your carbon footprint too. It takes a lot of energy to make sure you water is well treated and drinkable before it enters your home. Saving a little water, saves a little energy at the treatment plant. 

Saving water for saving water’s sake is important too. Fresh water is a resource in short demand around the world. Every year, our groundwater and other naturally drinkable water resources are diminished either through contamination or runoff.

Saving water also helps reduce the amount of water being sent to our nation’s decrepit waste water treatment facilities. In most cities around the country, the treatment facilities for water are woefully unequipped to handle not only the quantity of water coming to them but many of the pollutants now found in that water. Many of our cities’ systems were built early in the last century without the anticipation of the significant population increases we have now witnessed and before many of the chemicals we now see in our products even existed. When a waste water treatment facility cannot handle the amount of water being sent to it, water overflows open and untreated water is allowed into our waterways. Reducing your water usage, even a little, helps reduce these events and protects our nation’s waterways.

Take the time to learn about a few simple things you can do to reduce your water use. From changing the ways you water your yard to fixing that leaking faucet, there are plenty of ways you can personally pitch in to improve your water efficiency. If you are renovating your home or even changing a faucet or buying a new toilet, take the time to find one that is WaterSense certified. Just look for the logo above.

Already purchased a WaterSense certified product or improving your water efficiency? Let us know about it in the comments.