Kitchen

Facts

While water use in the kitchen makes up approximately 10 per cent of the consumption in your home (Environment Canada), it's wise to make that 10 per cent work well for you.

• An energy star dishwasher can use as little as 15.1 litres per cycle (Energy Star).
• A kitchen faucet can use on average 11.8 litres per minute. (Water Efficiency Master Plan).

Solutions

• If you are in the market for a new dishwasher, choose an energy star model using less than 20 litres per cycle.
• There's no need to pre-rinse dishes before placing in the dishwasher.
• When washing dishes by hand, fill the second sink with clean water for rinsing. Letting the tap run while rinsing can use eight to12 litres per minute the entire time you are washing the dishes.
• Although a lot of water use in the kitchen is used for filling glasses, water bottles, pots or containers, some use is for rinsing dirty plates and household cleaning. A kitchen faucet aerator is inexpensive and can save up to 3.5 litres per minute.
• Keep a cold jug of water in the fridge instead of running the tap until the water is cold.