Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Water Conservation shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Water Conservation offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Water Conservation at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Water Conservation? Wrong! If the Water Conservation is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Water Conservation then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Water Conservation? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Water Conservation and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Water Conservation wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Water Conservation then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Water Conservation site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Water Conservation, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Water Conservation, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Water conservation refers to reducing use of fresh water, through technological or social methods. The goals of water conservation efforts include:
- Sustainability - To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate.
- Energy conservation - Water pumping, delivery and wastewater treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy. In some regions of the world (for example, California California Energy Commission, " California's Water-Energy Relationship" (November 2005), p.8) over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management.
- Habitat conservation - Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating waterfowl, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructure.
Social solutions
Water conservation programs are typically initiated at the local level, either by municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public education campaigns, tiered water rates (charging progressively higher prices as water use increases),
subsidy for showerhead and toilet retrofits, and seasonal restrictions on lawn sprinklers US EPA, " Cases in Water Conservation" (July 2002). Cities in dry climates often require or encourage the installation of xeriscaping or natural landscaping in new homes to reduce outdoor water usage "".
One fundamental conservation goal is
universal metering. The prevalence of residential
water meter varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK householdsInnovations Report, " Time for universal water metering?", (May 2006), and about 57% of urban Canadian homesEnvironment Canada, " Municipal Water Use" . Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the U.S.
United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percentUS EPA, " Clean Water Through Conservation", ch. 3. In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leaks.
Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop irrigation accounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use.Pimentel, Berger, et al., "Water resources: agricultural and environmental issues", BioScience 54.10 (Oct 2004), p909 The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force farmers to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful irrigation techniques (see Technological solutions below).
Technological solutions
Water-saving technology for the home includes:
- low-flow shower heads (sometimes called energy-efficient shower heads as they also use less energy, due to less water being heated).
- low-flush toilets, composting toilets and waterless urinals, which can have a dramatic impact in the developed world, as conventional Western toilets use large volumes of water.
- faucet aerators, which break water flow into fine droplets to maintain "wetting effectiveness" while using less water. As a bonus, they reduce splashing while washing hands and dishes.
- wastewater reuse or recycling systems, allowing:
- reuse of graywater for flushing toilets or for the garden, and
- recycling of wastewater through water purification at a water treatment plant. See also Wastewater#Reuse
- having 4 minute showers using an hourglass timer.
For crop irrigation, optimal water efficiency means minimizing losses due to evaporation or runoff. An
Evaporation pan can be used to determine how much water is required to irrigate the land. Irrigation#Flood irrigation, the oldest and most common type, is often very uneven in distribution, as parts of a field may receive excess water in order to deliver sufficient quantities to other parts. Irrigation#Overhead (sprinkler) irrigation, using center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers, gives a much more equal and controlled distribution pattern, but in extremely dry conditions much of the water may evaporate before it reaches the ground.
Drip irrigation is the most expensive and least-used type, but offers the best results in delivering water to plant roots with minimal losses.
As changing irrigation systems can be a costly undertaking, conservation efforts often concentrate on maximizing the efficiency of the existing system. This may include chiseling compacted soils, creating furrow dikes to prevent runoff, and using soil moisture and rainfall sensors to optimize irrigation schedules.US EPA, " Clean Water Through Conservation", Practices for Agricultural Users
Catchment management
Water catchment management measures include:
- recharge pits, which capture rainwater and runoff and use it to recharge ground water supplies. This helps in the formation of ground water wells etc. and eventually reduces soil erosion caused due to running water.
Water Conservation versus Water Efficiency
Water Conservation
Water conservation can be defined as,
any beneficial reduction in water loss, waste, or use;
a reduction in water use accomplished by implementation of water conservation or water efficiency measures; or,
improved water management practices that reduce or enhance the beneficial use of water. Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434 . A water conservation measure is an action, behavioural change, device, technology, or improved design or process implemented to reduce water loss, waste, or use. Water efficiency is a tool of water conservation. That results in more efficient water use and thus reduces water demand. The value and cost-effectiveness of a water efficiency measure must be evaluated in relation to its effects on the use and cost of other natural resources (e.g. energy or chemicals). Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434
Water Efficiency
Water efficiency can be defined as, 1) the accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result with the minimal amount of water feasible; 2) an indicator of the relationship between the amount of water required for a particular purpose and the amount of water used or delivered. Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434
Water efficiency differs from the above statements because it focuses on reducing waste. The key to water efficiency is reducing waste, not restricting use. Consumers can help reduce waste by making small behavioural changes and by choosing more water efficient products. To be water efficient, users can fix leaking tapes, take showers rather than baths, use a Hippo (or other product) in the toilet, and do a full load of dishes or laundry. All of these things will aid in decreasing the waste of water on an everyday basis. It is extremely important as a consumer to understand the usefulness of water efficiency and how to continually use water wisely.
External Links
- Water Efficiency Magazine - The Journal for Water Conservation Professionals
Notes and references
See also
Water conservation refers to reducing use of fresh water, through technological or social methods. The goals of water conservation efforts include:
- Sustainability - To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate.
- Energy conservation - Water pumping, delivery and wastewater treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy. In some regions of the world (for example, California California Energy Commission, " California's Water-Energy Relationship" (November 2005), p.8) over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management.
- Habitat conservation - Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating waterfowl, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructure.
Social solutions
Water conservation programs are typically initiated at the local level, either by municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public education campaigns, tiered water rates (charging progressively higher prices as water use increases),
subsidy for showerhead and toilet retrofits, and seasonal restrictions on lawn sprinklers US EPA, " Cases in Water Conservation" (July 2002). Cities in dry climates often require or encourage the installation of
xeriscaping or natural landscaping in new homes to reduce outdoor water usage "".
One fundamental conservation goal is
universal metering. The prevalence of residential water meter varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK householdsInnovations Report, " Time for universal water metering?", (May 2006), and about 57% of urban Canadian homesEnvironment Canada, " Municipal Water Use" . Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the U.S. United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percentUS EPA, " Clean Water Through Conservation", ch. 3. In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leaks.
Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop
irrigation accounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use.Pimentel, Berger, et al., "Water resources: agricultural and environmental issues", BioScience 54.10 (Oct 2004), p909 The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force farmers to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful irrigation techniques (see Technological solutions below).
Technological solutions
Water-saving technology for the home includes:
- low-flow shower heads (sometimes called energy-efficient shower heads as they also use less energy, due to less water being heated).
- low-flush toilets, composting toilets and waterless urinals, which can have a dramatic impact in the developed world, as conventional Western toilets use large volumes of water.
- faucet aerators, which break water flow into fine droplets to maintain "wetting effectiveness" while using less water. As a bonus, they reduce splashing while washing hands and dishes.
- wastewater reuse or recycling systems, allowing:
- reuse of graywater for flushing toilets or for the garden, and
- recycling of wastewater through water purification at a water treatment plant. See also Wastewater#Reuse
- having 4 minute showers using an hourglass timer.
For crop irrigation, optimal water efficiency means minimizing losses due to evaporation or runoff. An Evaporation pan can be used to determine how much water is required to irrigate the land.
Irrigation#Flood irrigation, the oldest and most common type, is often very uneven in distribution, as parts of a field may receive excess water in order to deliver sufficient quantities to other parts. Irrigation#Overhead (sprinkler) irrigation, using center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers, gives a much more equal and controlled distribution pattern, but in extremely dry conditions much of the water may evaporate before it reaches the ground.
Drip irrigation is the most expensive and least-used type, but offers the best results in delivering water to plant roots with minimal losses.
As changing irrigation systems can be a costly undertaking, conservation efforts often concentrate on maximizing the efficiency of the existing system. This may include chiseling compacted soils, creating furrow dikes to prevent runoff, and using soil moisture and rainfall sensors to optimize irrigation schedules.US EPA, " Clean Water Through Conservation", Practices for Agricultural Users
Catchment management
Water catchment management measures include:
- recharge pits, which capture rainwater and runoff and use it to recharge ground water supplies. This helps in the formation of ground water wells etc. and eventually reduces soil erosion caused due to running water.
Water Conservation versus Water Efficiency
Water Conservation
Water conservation can be defined as,
any beneficial reduction in water loss, waste, or use;
a reduction in water use accomplished by implementation of water conservation or water efficiency measures; or,
improved water management practices that reduce or enhance the beneficial use of water. Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434 . A water conservation measure is an action, behavioural change, device, technology, or improved design or process implemented to reduce water loss, waste, or use. Water efficiency is a tool of water conservation. That results in more efficient water use and thus reduces water demand. The value and cost-effectiveness of a water efficiency measure must be evaluated in relation to its effects on the use and cost of other natural resources (e.g. energy or chemicals). Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434
Water Efficiency
Water efficiency can be defined as, 1) the accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result with the minimal amount of water feasible; 2) an indicator of the relationship between the amount of water required for a particular purpose and the amount of water used or delivered. Amy. “Water Use and Conservation.” Amherst, MA Waterplow Press. June 2002. 434
Water efficiency differs from the above statements because it focuses on reducing waste. The key to water efficiency is reducing waste, not restricting use. Consumers can help reduce waste by making small behavioural changes and by choosing more water efficient products. To be water efficient, users can fix leaking tapes, take showers rather than baths, use a Hippo (or other product) in the toilet, and do a full load of dishes or laundry. All of these things will aid in decreasing the waste of water on an everyday basis. It is extremely important as a consumer to understand the usefulness of water efficiency and how to continually use water wisely.
External Links
- Water Efficiency Magazine - The Journal for Water Conservation Professionals
Notes and references
See also
South West Water - Water conservation
South West water Peninsula House Rydon Lane Exeter Devon, EX2 7HR Tel: 0800 378937 eMail: Water conservation
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