69% of French people share the fear of running out of water in their town, according to the 2022 barometer “The French and water”, established by Kantar for the Water Information Center. 25 years ago, the figure was only 30%.
Despite some rain or sometimes violent thunderstorms in June, 79 departments are concerned by measures of vigilance or limitation of water use, according to Propluvia. On the same date last year, there were only 65, and 28 in 2021!
According to the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe), the French use an average of 148 liters of water per day between cooking (6%), flushing toilets (20%), dishes and laundry ( 22%) or hygiene (39%). While maintaining the same comfort, and reducing the bills at the same time, it is possible to reduce water consumption. The water information center is currently carrying out a campaign to prevent the French from slacking off during the holidays. Nathalie Davoisne, the head of External Relations, Media and Studies at the center, helps us understand the methods of this campaign.
We don’t necessarily realize it and yet, leaks represent 20% of our water consumption. To prevent it from falling on us, Nathalie Davoisne recommends the installation of a smart meter: “Thanks to this installation, households will be able to follow their consumption from where they wish. They are warned in real time if their consumption is unusual. In addition, the head of studies adds a little trick to easily check if one of our devices is leaking: “In the evening, you read the water indication on your meter. The next morning, you check the indicator again. If you see a clear difference between the two readings, it means that one of your stations is in poor condition. We recommend this method at night, because that’s when you use the least amount of water. »
In summer, showering is a big factor in wasting water. The water information center reveals a fairly simple technique to reduce your shower time: “A reflex to acquire is the three-minute shower. To help you, listen to a song underwater. It will allow you to be in a good mood, and to calculate the time of your shower. Three verses, two choruses, that’s how long it takes to get soaped up and clean.
When it comes to toilets, flushing is also a problem. Two solutions are provided by the specialist to reduce our consumption. “Installing a dual-speed flush is a good solution. It allows both to reduce water consumption, but also to save money for the wallet. The second, simpler solution is to put a brick or a bottle at the bottom of your tank. It reduces the capacity of the tank and therefore with each filling, it is 1.5 liters saved”, supports Nathalie Davoisne
For faucets, the Water Information Center advises buying a flow-reducing aerator. Between 10 and 20 euros, the small object is screwed on the tap to save water.
Finally, summer often rhymes with gardens. Be careful not to fall into the trap of overwatering or doing it in the middle of the day. Preferably early in the morning or late in the evening. Thanks to this technique, you will save 6 liters of water per square meter watered. For what ? “During the day, the temperatures are so high, the water evaporates and does not soak into our land. It is necessary to favor watering at dawn or at dusk so as not to burn your plantations. »
