KITCHEN
About 8 percent of in-home water use takes place in the kitchen.

• Don't rinse dishes before loading dishwasher. Water saved: 20 gallons per load.
• Wash only full loads in the dishwasher. An efficient dishwasher usually uses much less water than washing dishes by hand.
• Install a low-flow faucet aerator, which can cut water use in half. Water saved: 1 to 2 gallons per minute.
• When buying a new dishwasher, consider purchasing a water-saving model. (New models use up to 25 percent less water than older ones.) Water saved: 3 gallons per load.

AROUND THE HOUSE

• Wash only full loads in the clothes washer. Washing small loads uses over twice as much water per pound of laundry.
• When buying a new clothes washer, consider purchasing a water-saving model. Water saved: up to 40 gallons per load.
• Insulate hot water pipes where possible to avoid long delays (and wasted water) while waiting for the water to "run hot." When building a new home, keep the distance short between the hot water heater and showers and other places that hot water is used.