Did you know that 15% of an average household’s daily water consumption is through bathroom and kitchen faucets.  In a family of four, when each person uses the bathroom sink for 6 minutes daily and uses a 0.5 gallon per minute aerator (instead of a 2.5 gallon per minute aerator) this reduces the daily household water consumption by 48 gallons per day, which adds up to 17,520 gallons saved annually.

One of the easiest and least expensive ways to increase water efficiency is to install low-flow aerators on your faucets.  These were first developed to reduce “sink splash”, but are now more popular for their water savings.  Bathroom and kitchen aerators are simple screw in attachments with wire screens that mix air into the water flow.  Low flow aerators can be added to just about any standard faucet.  Remove existing aerators by hand or with a wrench and simply screw the new one on.  Even older faucets are threaded to accept new aerators.

Most standard faucet aerators in bathrooms and kitchens use between 2 – 5 gallons per minute.  Today’s low-flow aerators use .5 – 1.5 gallons per minute and provide the same force or water pressure, with a better feel.  Beyond saving water, you use less hot water and will see energy savings as well.  Because of this, low-flow aerators will pay for themselves in a few months.

An aerator with flow restricted to .5 or 1 gallon per minute works great in the bathroom and you can find one at Southwest Green Building Center for $1.49 (and even less this month).  In the kitchen we often want more water and a 1.5 gallon per minute device works best.  Kitchen aerators are only $1.99 – $3.99.  We are offering a 10% savings in the store throughout September on all our water saving and filtering items including aerators, ultra high efficiency toilets, showerheads and rain barrels – we hope you will replace all your aerators and save water today!