at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012 - (Page 257)

YOUR GREEN HOME Water THE RATE AT WHICH THE UK POPULATION IS USING WATER IS BECOMING UNSUSTAINABLE. IT’S TIME TO CHANGE HABITS AND REVERSE THE TREND… T he facts are frightening. If our current consumption of water continues at the same rate, a whopping two-thirds of the world’s population will live in areas of water stress by 2025 – according to the ﬁndings of the second United Nations Water Development Report. The UK has less available water per person than most other European countries. London is drier than Istanbul and the south-east of England has less water per person than Sudan and Syria. So it’s time to start thinking about how much water you’re wasting on a daily basis, and doing something about it. Read on for ways to get started: Turn it off Cut the volume A running tap can waste around six litres of water per minute. If everyone in the UK turned off their taps while brushing their teeth, it’d save 446 million litres of water – enough to supply the whole population of Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham and Sheffield for one day! WORDS: Charlotte Maugham | PHOTOGRAPH: Getty Images Put a cistern displacement device in your water closet to reduce the volume of water in your flush by between one and three litres. You can get one free of charge from your water company, but you don’t need one if you have a dual-ﬂush toilet. Get it fixed Throw it away You can lose up to 15 litres of water a day through a dripping tap – that’s 5,500 litres per year. Fitting a new washer is a cheap way of saving water and it only takes a few minutes. Each unnecessary toilet ﬂush uses a cistern-full of water, so don’t put face wipes and cotton wool in the bowl – bin them. If everyone in the UK stopped using their toilet as a bin, 27 million litres of water would be saved each week. Speed up Yes, showers are better than baths, but they can still use between nine and 45 litres of water per minute. So, keep yours short, especially if you have a power shower. You can also invest in an energy-saving shower system that will cut down your water usage, as well as the energy needed to heat it. Stack them high Restricting the use of your dishwasher and washing machine to full loads only can save huge amounts of water over time. Get a new model Many of the latest washing machines and dishwashers are designed to be water ___ _ _ _ ______ _ SMART ____ __ _ DID YOU KNOW? THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TAP WATER USED BY EACH PERSON IN THE UK IS 150 LITRES A DAY __ ___ __ efficient, so when it comes time to replace yours, look out for eco-friendly models. If you’re planning on doing up your bathroom, choose appliances which feature the BMA water eﬃciency label. These will help you to identify products that when installed and used correctly, save water, therefore energy. Recycle your waste Ditch the pipe Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl rather than under a running tap, and save the water that’s left over to water your houseplants. Hosepipes use as much as 1,000 litres a minute so opt for a watering can for your garden, and a bucket and sponge to wash your car. Watch your usage Consider ﬁtting a water meter. It will make you aware of how much you consume, and since water companies hiked their prices on 1 April 2012, it could save you money too. ■ www.athomemagazine.co.uk AUGUST 2012 | 257 http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012

EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME FROM SARAH
NEWS
AWESOME AUGUST
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
TABLE TALK
THE THRIFTY FIFTY
TRENDS ON TRIAL
BEENY UNCUT
ESSENTIAL HOME-BUYING GUIDE
SURVEY SAVVY
WHAT’S THE SCORE?
THE NEW FACE OF PROPERTY?
SELLER SECRETS
LOCATION LOCK-UP
SOAP AND GLORY
OPEN UP
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
TOP SHOP
THE BRIGHT STUFF
GET THE JUNGLE LOOK
WARDROBE WARS
A ONE OFF
MOSAIC MAGIC
GLASS ACT
TAKE TO THE FLOOR
FRAME GAME
IT’S A BLINDER
SNUG AS A BUG
BURNING QUESTION
THE A-TEAM
QUICK FIX
BEAT THE BUILDING BLUES
LET THERE BE LIGHT
GOING DOWN
GARDEN GREATS
DIRTY DEALINGS
ALIEN INVASION
JUMP RIGHT IN
LITTLE WONDER
OUT OF SIGHT
PROFESSOR GREEN
ECO EXCLUSIVE
TALKING TRASH
PRO PLANET PROJECTS
HELLO, SUNSHINE
CARBON-NEUTRAL COVER
STAR GLAZER
EARTH HOUR
HOT TOPIC
MASS REDUCTION
WASTE NOT
SWITCHED ON
ETHICAL INTERIORS
YOU LIVE WHERE?
COMING SOON
WINNING SPOT
LUXE LINEN
CATCH-UP
STOCKISTS

at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012