Water consumption: here's how you can estimate it
After the 2022 summer heat wave, the 2023 winter drought is raging. Given all this, it is important to control your water consumption.
Showers, baths, drinking water, dishes, laundry, toilets, watering… water is essential on a daily basis . According to a study by the Water Information Center (CIE), a Frenchman consumes an average of 150 liters of water per day . Over the past two years, with the abnormally hot summer and the super-dry winter, our water consumption has increased considerably .
Direct consequences of this increase in consumption, five departments are now on “drought alert” . The government has already implemented water restrictions. To help households optimize their water consumption, the CIE has set up a domestic consumption calculator .
Water: a “resource that is becoming scarce”
According to experts, there are two kinds of water consumption :
- Indirect consumption,
- Direct consumption
Did you know that 'it takes 2,500 liters of water to make a T-Shirt or 15,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef' according to the official CIE website. This water consumption is called indirect use . Some also speak of the notion of “virtual water”.
For the second category, direct consumption concerns the use of water in our daily lives . According to data from the CIE , on the average daily consumption (150 liters of water) of the French approximately:
“93% of the water used at home is for hygiene and cleaning”
In more detail, here's how it breaks down:
- 39% for baths and showers
- 20% for toilets (flushing)
- 12% for laundry cleaning
- 10% for dishes
- 6% for car and garden maintenance
- 7% for food: for drinking and cooking
Given its many uses, it is normal that water is considered as a scarce resource . So, it must be protected now. In an article by News-Orange , published on March 4, 2023, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron recalled that it is necessary:
“Pay attention to this resource which is becoming scarce and to adopt behaviors of sobriety in our practices”.
About, a tool developed by the CIE allows you to estimate your water consumption .
How to estimate your water consumption?
One of the ways to start saving water and knowing how much we consume each day. Aware of this, the CIE has developed a tool to estimate water consumption. Remember that the CIE or water information center is a non-profit organization run by French companies water suppliers such as: Suez, Veolia and Saur.
To answer the question posed in the title, to estimate your consumption, rely on the calculator designed by the CIE . This device not only allows you to estimate your water consumption, it also allows comparisons .
Combined with data from the Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), thanks to this calculator, we have been able to deduce that the most water-consuming element is the bathroom . As specified, it represents 39% of water consumption per day.
Here are some tips to reduce your water consumption
Most of the time, the high water consumption in homes result of a bad habit . Without making you wait any longer, here are 3 tips to optimize your water consumption.
1. Choose showers over baths
As the bathroom is the pole of water consumption, we will start with a tip that directly affects the showers. So, to save water, a quick shower is better than a long bath . Fast, because an economical shower should only take about 2 to 3 minutes. It is also advisable to turn off the tap while you soap yourself .
2. Chase away water leaks
Faucet not properly closed or leak due to poor maintenance. According to the official website of CIE :
“Did you know that a single drip leak can represent up to 4 liters of wasted water per hour? »
In details, 4 liters per hour represents 35 m³ per year . The latter is worth 108 euros. To avoid such loss, be sure to:
- Close the taps properly
- Fix a leaky faucet or flush as soon as possible
- Turn off the tap and the water meter when you go on vacation.
3. Collect and store rainwater
Use systems to collect and store rainwater. This allows you to reuse water and avoid flooding in the event of heavy rain .
Here, to reduce your water consumption, it is important to know how much we consume and adopt habits of sobriety .
Source : actua.orange
source: foozine.com
