Conservation inside your home

Faucets

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your face. To see how much water you’ll save, just plug the sink while leaving the tap running as you do these activities.
• Use less water by replacing your faucet aerator. Choose an aerator that delivers less than 4.7 L/min of water or is labelled WaterSense.

Shower

• Take a shower instead of a bath. 
• Take shorter or fewer showers. Five minutes is ideal. Cutting your shower time by just 2 minutes can make a big difference in your water usage. 
• Install a water-saving shower head to use less hot water. Look for one whose flow rate is less than 7.0 L/min of water or is labelled WaterSense.

 Toilet

• Don’t flush unnecessarily. 
• Check your toilet for leaks regularly by putting a few drops of food colouring into the tank. If the colour appears in the bowl after 15-20 minutes, you have a leak. Learn how to fix a leaking toilet. 
• When you replace your toilet, choose a low-flow toilet that uses 4.8 litres or less per flush to save water. Look for one labelled WaterSense.
• Regularly check your faucets, pipes, taps and hoses for leaks and drips. Your local hardware store can help you fix most minor household plumbing issues.

Regularly check your faucets, pipes, taps and hoses for leaks and drips. Your local hardware store can help you fix most minor household plumbing issues.

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Discover handy conservation tips for your family room and home office.

Your family room

• When buying new electronics, look for the ones with Energy Star ratings.
• Use a power bar to plug in multiple electronic devices so they can easily be switched off all at once.
• Check the owner's manual to ensure rechargeable devices are not plugged in for longer than they need.
• Unplug all electronics when you're not using them for extended periods of time. Not only does this save energy, but it also protects your devices from power surges.

Your home office

• Turn off your computer, accessories (speakers, etc.) and printer when not in use. Even in sleep mode, they still draw power. Switching your computer on and off will have no significant effect on its operation or lifespan.
• Choose a computer with power-management options. Power-down features can significantly reduce electricity use.
• Turn off your monitor, even if you are only away from it for short periods of time. Screen savers don't reduce energy consumption.
• Use a laptop. A typical laptop has a consumption of 15 watts, compared to 80-160 watts for desktop computers, and many power down after short periods of inactivity.

Natural light

Play up the natural light in your rooms with window treatments that maximize, not block, the light. Install sky lights, or consider using solar tube day lighting in rooms with easy access to the roof. Solar tubing uses reflective tubes to bring daylight into rooms with no windows.

Decor

Remember the impact that colour can have on your lighting choices. White walls and ceilings reflect more light than dark walls and ceilings. Therefore, the darker your decor, the more light you will need in the room.

More light for your money: Consider placing floor and table lamps in the corners of your rooms, as the light will bounce off of two walls rather than just one.

Light bulbs

The light bulbs you choose make a huge difference in the energy you use. Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and LEDs. Here's why:

• CFL and LED bulbs deliver the same output as incandescent bulbs but use significantly less energy.
• 90% of the energy incandescent bulbs use is lost as heat. CFLs and LEDs are cooler and more of the energy they use goes toward producing light.

Dimmers, timers and sensors

• Dimmers help you to save energy and add a variety of light levels to your rooms. Look for dimmers that allow a full range of light levels.
• Make sure the light bulbs you use are not brighter than you need and that they're rated to function with dimmers (not all light bulbs are compatible with dimmers).
• Replace your ordinary wall switches with hi/low switches, but make sure these switches don't use resistors, or you won't save energy.
• Install timers or motion sensors to turn your lights off when a room is unoccupied.

Household tips

• Turn your lights off when they're not in use to save energy and lamp life.
• Clean your bulbs and fixtures. Dust and dirt reduce light levels.
• When cleaning, turn the fixture off or unplug it to prevent shock.
• Avoid having too many lights controlled by a single switch as you may use more lights than you need. Your light switches should be visible and easily accessible so they're easy to turn off.

Holiday lights

• Switch your incandescent light strings to LEDs to save money on your energy bill.
• LEDs use 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs and don't get hot.
• The amount of energy consumed by just one seven-watt incandescent bulb is equal to 140 LEDs (more than 14m of lights).
• Only turn on indoor lights and Christmas trees when you're in the same room.

Below are some conservation tips for one of the busiest rooms in the house.

At the sink

• Keep a jug of water in the fridge so you don't have to run the tap for cold water.
• When you hand-wash dishes, only partially fill the sink with soapy water and quickly rinse dishes with a spray device or in a pan of warm water.
• Clean your vegetables in a partially-filled sink or bowl rather than under a continuously running tap.
• Thaw frozen food in the fridge or microwave rather than running the tap water over it.
• Install an aerator attachment on your taps. 
• Catch running water while waiting for it to warm up or turn cold and use it to water plants.
• Use less water by replacing your faucet aerator. Choose an aerator that delivers less than 4.7 L/min of water or is labelled WaterSense. 

Tin it, then bin it

• Don't dispose of solvents, chemicals, cleaners or cooking fat by pouring them down your drain; they can harm both the environment and your drainage system. 

Drip, drop, stop

• Regularly check your faucets, pipes, taps and hoses for leaks and drips. Your local hardware store can help you fix most minor household plumbing issues.

Dishwasher

• Running a full load of dishes in the dishwasher uses less water than washing by hand. 
• Water-efficient dishwashers use less water and less energy to heat the water than standard models.
• Clean full loads loads of dishes on eco mode to save water and energy.
• Use the shortest wash cycle for your load size.
• Don’t pre-rinse your dishes. You only need to scrape plates and cutlery before loading them in the dishwasher.

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Hot water tank

Not all hot water tanks are created equal. When shopping for a new tank, here are some things to look for:

• Choose a high-efficiency water tank that is Energy STAR rated.
• Install pipe insulation on all of your hot water pipes to reduce heat loss.
• When designing your house or basement, place your hot water tank (and mechanical room) as close to the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms as possible to avoid heat loss through your pipes.

Furnace

• Have your furnace inspected regularly.
• Never run your furnace with the fan compartment cover removed; it puts you at risk of fire and carbon monoxide.
• Check your filter monthly and replace it every three months. Buildup leads to increased drag on the fan and makes your motor work harder.
• Have your vent system cleaned and balanced. Ensure your vents are clean and open, and that they aren't blocked by furniture or curtains. Also, ensure your outside vents are free from blockage.
• Your pilot light or gas burners should burn blue. If yellow flame appears, contact a qualified heating contractor for repair.