Replace Old Toilets
Toilets are the largest indoor water users, which means replacing an old, inefficient toilet with a new model can pay for itself in a few years. Toilets installed prior to the early 90s use 3.5 to 5 gallons per flush. Toilets sold today use as little as 0.8 gallon per flush, and with the WaterSense-certified label, consumers can rest assured that the products save water and perform well. Customers can receive a rebate from Denver Water for installing a qualifying ultra-high-efficiency toilet.
Replace Old Showerheads
Showerheads from the early 90s use three to eight gallons of water per minute. High–efficiency showerheads that earn the WaterSense label use no more than 2.0 gallons per minute, some models use as little as 1.5 gallons per minute, without sacrificing performance. To replace a showerhead, unscrew the old showerhead (you may have to use wide-grip pliers with protective masking tape around the showerhead base) and screw on the new one. Wrap a bit of Teflon tape around the threads before screwing on the new showerhead.
Replace an Old Clothes Washer
An old clothes washer can use 40 to 50 gallons per load. A new front-loading or horizontal axis machine uses as little as 10 gallons per load. Its high-speed spin cycle forces more water out of clothes, which means clothes need less time in the dryer. And because a front-loader machine doesn’t have an agitator, it’s gentler on your clothes.
Retrofit
Retrofit Your Faucet with a High-Efficiency Aerator
Aerators mix air with water to reduce the flow of water coming from the faucet. They’re inexpensive, available at most hardware stores and easy to install. Faucet aerators have different flow rates that can be matched for the different uses. For example, a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute or lower on kitchen, food service and mop sinks is helpful, whereas 1 gallon per minute or less is plenty for hand-washing sinks.
For a faucet with an inside thread, unscrew the old faucet attachment and screw on the aerator. For outside threaded faucets, remove the top washer from the aerator to expose the inside threads. Then screw on the aerator.
