Homes don\u2019t come with an instruction manual, leaving residents on their own to figure out how to best manage their water use.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou move in on day one (and) you\u2019ve got a bunch of toilets, you\u2019ve got a bunch of faucets, you\u2019ve got a bunch of outdoor landscaping maybe,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cAnd nobody tells you anything about how to actually operate that stuff and make sure you\u2019re only using as much water as you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can Phoenix residents easily reduce water use?<\/p>\n
The biggest mistake residents make is overwatering desert landscape.<\/p>\n
Wilson said most people think their plants need a little bit of water every day, but they really just need a good soaking every once and a while. In fact, he said plants can go weeks without watering after a good monsoon storm.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve noticed your water bill is high and believe you might have a leak, the city can send someone out to conduct an efficiency consultation.<\/p>\n
The technician will even evaluate fixtures and appliances to see if they qualify for one of the city\u2019s financial incentives<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve got a showerhead in your house that you haven\u2019t changed out in 10 or 15 years, chances are there\u2019s one that will do just as good of a job on the market today for not very much money. And that can help you save a whole lot of water,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n City offers incentives to reduce water use<\/p>\n Phoenix also has a rebate for newer toilets where you can get back about half the cost. He said he just swapped out the toilets in his house from 1.6 gallons per flush to less than one gallon per flush, which is about a 50% water savings.<\/p>\n Most people are surprised that running a dishwasher uses less water than doing the dishes by hand. Wilson said you can also skip the prerinse before you load the dishwasher because you\u2019re essentially washing your dishes twice.<\/p>\n There are also rebates for reducing outdoor water use. The city will pay you $2 per square foot to remove living grass and replace it with desert landscaping.<\/p>\n There is also a smart irrigation incentive. It\u2019s a sprinkler controller that connects to the internet to make sure you\u2019re only watering as much as you need.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of the easiest things you can do to reduce your outdoor water use,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n Follow @heidi_hommel<\/a><\/p>\n We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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