Hold Your Horses, Use an Aerator!
If you don’t have aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets, they should be one of the first things you do. They’re super simple to install – just screw them on. They’ll give you the same look and feel of a lot of water flowing out, but in fact you will have cut your water use.
Their secret? Mixing air into the water flow. That’s all it is, but it can reduce your water use from 3-5 GPM to 1. A side benefit: they also reduce splashing.
For kitchen sinks, you want an aerator rated between 1 and 1.5 GPM. For bathroom faucets, go with a rating between 0.5 and 1 GPM.
Clean them as needed, because they can get clogged, dirty, or simply wear out.
By the way, these little guys can’t do everything. So don’t leave the faucet on while brushing your teeth, thinking that it’s now OK because you have an aerator in front of you. (Here’s a not-so-fun fact: excess water use from tooth brushing alone generates some 1,500 gallons of water waste per year. Let that sink in. Your little family of four could be wasting yearly something like 6,000 gallons).
Here is a simple guide on picking out aerators for your faucets, and here is a simple video on replacing or putting in aerators.
Learn more on ways to save water and money with LADWP.
Learn more about the assumptions behind Magenta House water and power savings calculations.
DETAILS
Upgrade: Faucet Aerators for kitchen and bathrooms
Goal: Install aerators rated 1-1.5 GPM in kitchen, 0.5-1 GPM in bathrooms.
Potential Savings*: 3,000-5,000 gallons of water/yr, and up to nearly $80/yr for a two-bath household. Additional savings come on the energy side, from the way aerators can reduce hot water flow.
Skill level: ★☆☆
SAVINGS*
The average home savings calculation is based on the needs of a family of four and includes the following assumptions:
the home has 3 faucets (one kitchen, two bathrooms), with combined usage of 10 minutes/day;
the faucets without aerators flow water at a rate of 2.2 GPM, while with aerators it drops to 1 GPM;
water costs run at $2 per 1,000 gallons.
Yearly water savings amount 3,000-5,000 gallons of water. And aerators even lower your energy bill, by decreasing the amount of hot water you use. This can amount to monetary savings of up to $80.
