In Kelowna, the average monthly consumption for a family of four is 20 cubic meters during the winter. Check your water bills from December through March and see how you compare. Winter water consumption is usually all indoors, so if this consumption is high you may want to follow the “5 R’s” of water efficiency.

1 Cubic Meter = 1000 Liters = 220 Gallons

Reduce the volume of water you use.
Reduce the amount of water you use indoors by ensuring that you run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only. If your machines have settings for smaller loads, use them.

Avoid wasting water. Don’t flush garbage down the toilet or leave the water running when brushing your teeth. When washing your hands, you’ll use less water if you turn on the tap only half way.

Repair leaky toilets and taps.
A steadily dripping tap can waste up to 880 Liters of water in a day. That’s over 26 Cubic Meters in a month! A leaky toilet can waste up to 200 Cubic Meters a month. We’ve seen it happen.

If you think you have a leaky toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Don’t flush and let it sit for about 10 minutes. If the color starts to appear in the bowl, you have a leak.

Retrofit existing plumbing fixtures.
A low flow showerhead can cut the water you use in the shower up to 50%. If you replace your existing showerhead with a good low-flow device, you’ll save water and the cost of heating the water.

Older toilets can use more than 20 Liters per flush. New ultra-low flow toilets use just 6 Liters per flush. The newer models are designed to give a powerful flush.

Reuse gray water.
Where it is healthy and safe to do so, consider re-using gray water (water that is not fit to drink). For example, water used from cleaning fish tanks could be used to water plants or dumped outdoors rather than pouring it down the drain. Use extreme caution when re-using gray water as it may be contaminated with harmful bacteria.

Read your water meter.

ODOMETER: Reads in Cubic Meters. The black wheel is a decimal, so the consumption on this meter is 5443.7 CM. TRIANGLE: Measures flow as slow as 0.5 Liters (1/8 Gallon) per minute. SWEEP HAND: Ten complete revolutions = One Cubic Meter.

To monitor your daily water use, take a reading at a set time of the day then take another reading the same time the next day. The difference between the two readings is your water consumption for the day. Or, take a reading at night before you go to bed and the first thing in the morning when you wake up. If no one has used the bathroom in the night, the readings should be identical. If they’re not, you may have a leak.

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