Efficient indoor water use

Rinsing vegetables in kitchen sink
Capture water used for rinsing vegetables in a bowl and use it to water plants. Photo credit: iStock.

Water used for bathing, cooking and flushing toilets is considered essential indoor water use and is charged at the lowest rate.

And as with all water use, it’s best to use only what you need.

On average, Denver Water’s single-family residential customers use about 50 gallons per person per day inside the home — about 10 gallons more per day than our efficiency experts would like to see people using.

How does your family stack up?

First, find your average winter consumption listed on your bill.

Then, see how that consumption compares to the efficiency target of 40 gallons per person per day over the course of a month in this chart:

Water use efficiency target: 5 people = 6,100 gallons per month; 4 people = 4,880 gallons per month; 3 people = 3,660 gallons per month; 2 people = 2,440 gallons per month

Now is a great time to take steps to use water more efficiently inside your home. Do an indoor self-audit to check for leaks and fix any you find.

Taking shorter showers also will help!