5 Ways to Conserve Water in the Winter

Water conservation isn’t something we think much about during harsh Minnesota winters.

If you take a look outside, there is no grass or garden maintenance to do and water does a pretty good job of conserving itself by staying frozen, right? Well, sort of.

Take a look inside your home and you’ll find plenty of ways to conserve water, even during these cold winter months!

Here are some water conservation techniques that are particularly helpful in the winter:

Drip Your Faucets

At first, this may seem counterintuitive to conserving water, but by letting your faucets drip while you’re sleeping or out of the house will prevent the pipes from bursting. Consider the wasted water and other dangers during the winter; letting your faucets drip may potentially save a lot of water.

Utilize a Shower Bucket

Dripping your faucets segways nicely into the next point: Find good uses for the water you drip. To conserve the maximum amount of water, place a bucket or bowl under dripping faucets and use the water to flush your toilet or water your plants!

Insulate Your Hot Water Pipes

One of the best ways to warm up on a cold winter day is with a hot shower. You may have noticed that it takes longer for the water to warm up in the winter than in the summer. That’s because your pipes are cold. Insulating your hot water pipes helps the water warm up quicker and wastes less water while you wait for it to heat up. Also, it protects your pipes from bursting.

This is another instance in which a shower bucket would be helpful. Instead of letting all that water go to waste while you wait for the water to heat up, catch it in a bucket and, again, use it for flushing the toilet, watering plants, or any other use you have for extra water.

Locate Your Water Shut-off Valve

Should a pipe burst or some other catastrophic event happen with your pipes, it is VERY important that you know where the water shut-off valve is on your property. When an emergency comes around, the sooner you can shut off the water, the better. You’ll save money on water and damage repairs, additionally, you’ll save hundreds of gallons of water if you can shut that gushing pipe off right away!

Check for Leaks After the First Thaw

During the winter months, day and night temperatures can be drastically different. As your pipes expand and contract with those changes, they are placed under a great deal of stress. This can cause pipes to leak or break, which can cause massive water loss and high utility costs, so be sure to have a plumber check your pipes for damage after the first thaw.


The average person uses almost 70 gallons of water per day, and that’s only indoor water usage. Peak water usage during the summer for a household skyrockets up to 350 gallons per day! Whether we’re talking about water conservation in the summer or in the winter, it should become a part of all of our daily routines.

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