But don't worry: Going green doesn’t mean having to take drastic measures, like ripping out or replacing your system. There are a lot of small steps you can start taking to make your system more efficient right away.

For the sake of the planet – and your water bill – here are five easy, effective ways to conserve water around the house:

1.) Make Sure Your Plumbing is Leak-Free

At one drop per second, a leaky faucet can waster nearly 3,000 gallons of water per year.  A leaking or running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons every day. To start saving water right away, make sure that your system is free of leaks.

Check your water use by examining your water meter regularly – if the meter changes over a period when no water has been used, you’ve got a leak. Be sure to regularly inspect your pipes and faucets to make sure that your connections are secure and that no water is dripping out, as well.

2.) Go Low-Flow

There are all sorts of green plumping alternatives that will fit easily into your existing system to help you conserve water without a second thought.

Install low-flow shower heads to cut down waste without losing water pressure. Similarly, changing the aerator in your kitchen and bathroom faucets is an easy, inexpensive way to reduce your water use. And replacing a standard toilet with a low-flow model can cut your waste in half; most low-flow units typically require only 1.3 gallons of water per flush, as opposed to the 3.5 gallons spent by a standard model.

3.) Turn off the Tap

Most of the everyday tasks we do in our sinks don’t actually require running water.

When brushing your teeth, for example, turn off the water after wetting your brush – there’s no need to leave it on if you’re not using it, and letting it run can waste two gallons each minute. When shaving, don’t rinse your razor under a running stream; instead, collect a bit of water in the basin and wash your blades using this warm water, instead.

The same idea holds true when you’re doing dishes. Don’t leave the water running to rinse off your used plates and bowls by hand. Instead, use a spray nozzle or a small panful of hot water to get the same results with significantly less waste. And if you’re going to use a dishwasher, don’t bother pre-rinsing. A good scrape should be enough to ready your plates for most modern automatic dishwashers.

4.) Be Smart About Your Hot Water Use

We know that nothing feels as quite like a nice, warm shower. But cutting back your time in the shower – by even a few minutes – is an easy way to significantly reduce your water use. And if a long, luxurious bath is more your speed, consider this: A five minute shower can use between 20 and 50 gallons of water, but a standard bath uses a remarkable 70 gallons.

It’s not hard to get smart about hot water. By making sure your pipes are insulated, for example, you can get your hot water faster, potentially saving gallons of water every day.

And your bathroom isn’t the only place you’ll use hot water. Extend these thrifty habits to your dishwasher and washing machine, as well. Make sure your dishwasher is properly loaded so that you don’t need to waste water on a re-wash. As for your laundry, try doing the wash on cold, and don’t run your machine without a full load. One more trick: Avoid the perm press cycle, which can waste 5 gallons of water on an unnecessary extra rinse.

5.) Collect Water - And Get Creative!

Most in-sink garbage disposals use a lot of water to work properly. Instead of running your disposal every day, look for alternative uses for your food waste, or start composting instead!

And don’t just collect organic waste. One of the easiest ways to conserve water is, simply, to collect it. There are all kinds of unique ways to keep – and reuse – water around the home.

Try putting a bucket down in your shower to hold the water you run while waiting for it to heat up. You can use this water for cleaning, or for a thrifty “bucket toilet flush.” Similarly, you don’t need to ditch the pots of water you use for boiling pasta or veggies; instead, try collecting it and using it to water plants.

Conserving water doesn’t have to be a chore! With a little determination and ingenuity, it can be a fun challenge that benefits the planet and your pocketbook. How do you like to conserve water around the house? We’d love to hear from you!

Whether you’re looking for more green plumbing ideas or a quick fix for your plumbing troubles, we’re here to help! Drop Combat Plumbing a line for all of your plumbing , water leak, sewer and gas line needs, day or night.