Let's lighten the load by reducing WATER Consumption.
The easiest and most affordable way to meet your needs off-the-grid is to reduce your consumption. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to go “without” this simply means taking the time to design your home and your systems so that the efficiency is built-in.
We are going to look at lightening your load for water. Let’s start with the things that are going to make the biggest impact (greatest reduction).
Below is a breakdown of average household water use in a typical on-grid home. There could be regional variations dependent on landscaping/lawn&garden (or lack thereof), and water-use habits of the residents, but for the most part, it’s a good starting point for our discussion.
1. Leaks
First things first, let's find and fix all leaks.
10%
of water is lost through leaking plumbing! So let’s start by making a pledge to fix leaks as quickly as possible! Stopping leakage will save your precious water (whether you’re on or off the grid).
2. Efficient Fixtures & Appliances
Water savings anyone can and should take advantage of - switching to water-efficient fixtures, appliances, and toilets.
Making this change can save you a ginormous amount of water = 40.9%!
Wowza.
3. Greywater
Choosing a greywater reuse system and flushing your toilet with greywater will give you some amazing savings.
You can also opt to eliminate flushing with water altogether by installing a composting toilet (or a dry toilet of any kind). Just this change alone, not flushing your toilet with fresh, clean, drinking water, will save you 19%! Or if you were smart and opted to install the low-flush toilet, 4%! Not too shabby…
While the first two solutions can be achieved no matter what kind of home you’re in, greywater systems will need to be designed into your home BEFORE you start building (or as an extensive retrofit). They will take full advantage of the greywater and/or blackwater systems (below) that we’ve been discussing and will go further than simply saving you water, they will REUSE it!
4. Landscaping with grey/black water
Ok, this is the BIG one: landscaping and watering of plants.
If you opt for the greywater flush with an interior planter cell, you will be using all of your greywater to water food and plants inside your home even before you flush! And if you opt for a black water botanical cell for your exterior landscaping, you will be finishing strong with the rest of your wastewater going to all of your exterior vegetation. Couple this with xeriscaping for the rest of your yard (rather than water-hungry grass) you will have a beautiful, very LOW-MAINTENANCE, yard with HUGE water savings of 14.5%!
