Flushing the loo to gardening: how to save water around the home

theguardian.com:

Another heatwave is looming and many parts of the country are preparing for emergency water measures to combat drought.

Britons do use a lot of water – on average, more than citizens in most other European countries – so what can people do to cut their usage?

“The amount of water flushed down our toilets is considerable – it’s the second-biggest use of water in the home behind showering,” says the Energy Saving Trust. A so-called cistern displacement device can be popped into your toilet cistern: when you flush, the device inflates, saving you between one and two litres every time you flush.

They are easy to install and available for free from most water companies, according to Waterwise, an organisation that focuses on reducing water consumption in the UK. They will often have different names – for example, Southern Water gives away free “save-a-flush bags”.

Some claim you can get the same effect by putting a brick in your cistern, but others argue that a brick may disintegrate over time or reduce the toilet’s effectiveness.

The average shower head uses 12 litres of water a minute, with power showers using about 15 litres, according to Waterwise. Given that the average shower lasts about 10 minutes, that’s up to 150 litres of water going down the plughole each time.

Low-flow shower heads reduce the amount of water used to about six litres a minute “while still giving you the feel of a normal shower,” the organisation says.

Using a four-minute timer when you get in can make you realise how long you spend in the shower and could typically save you 30 litres a day, says the Energy Saving Trust.

Some homeowners say it is relatively easy to rig up a simple system that lets you siphon bathwater via a hosepipe through your bathroom