The Best Brunch Spot is Your Flats Apartment

Easy-To-Do Water-Saving Tips

As Daylight Saving Time is under way, lawn watering schedules for residents of 16 Florida counties, including Orange, change, too, going from one to two days per week. Irrigation accounts for more than half of Central Florida’s total water consumption, but OUC wants to help you minimize its impact on your utility bill and a precious natural resource.

Water your lawn wisely.

Follow the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Water Restrictions – residential property owners with even numbered addresses can water on Thursdays and Sundays, while those with odd-numbered or no addresses can water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Nonresidential property owners can water on Tuesdays and Fridays. Watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is prohibited. Also: o Water for no more than one hour per irrigation zone.

o Avoid watering on windy days.

o Adjust sprinklers so they water the lawn, not the pavement. o Avoid sprinklers that spray a fine mist.

o Make sure plants aren’t blocking sprinklers.

o Turn off sprinklers when it’s raining.

Check your automatic sprinkler system.

Examine your system at least once every two months for leaks and broken sprinkler heads, and promptly make repairs. Check for signs of broken or leaky sprinkler system pipes by looking for muddy or overgrown areas of turf. Make sure your sprinkler system’s timer/controller is operating as programmed, so it operates on the right days, at the right times, for the right durations.

Curtail personal uses.

Clean driveways and sidewalks with a broom instead of a hose, and use a spray nozzle when washing your car to stop water flow between rinses. Also: o Take shorter showers o Turn the water off while brushing your teeth or shaving o Wash only full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer o Fill the sink with water and turn off the faucet to wash dishes by hand o Use the garbage disposal sparingly. o If you’d like to take it even further, you can install low-flow showerheads and flush valves in toilets.

Identify and repair leaks in your home.

In a typical house, old toilets and leaky faucets can waste hundreds of gallons of water each day. To find hidden leaks in your home, make sure no water is running in the house and observe your water meter. If the meter’s dial is moving, you may have a leak. Check for leaky faucets in and out of your home – a worn washer could easily be the issue. If you hear a toilet’s tank refilling unnecessarily, a worn-out flapper or poorly working float may be the cause.

Replace old toilets and get a rebate.

Replacing toilets made in 1993 or earlier with EPA WaterSense-certified models that consume 1.28 gallons or less per flush can save 13,000 gallons of water a year and more than $140 annually on your water bill. OUC offers customers a rebate for 100% of the cost, up to $100, to replace an old toilet with a new ultra-low flow toilet. Visit ouc.com/conservation-forms/ultra-low-flow-toilet/ to get started.

Perhaps the most convenient thing you can do to conserve water is take advantage of OUC’s Efficiency Delivered® program, which offers customers a free conservation audit and, depending on household income, includes repairs to irrigation and minor indoor leaks, as well as help with other improvements. Call 407-4239018 or go to www.ouc.com/ audit-inquiry for more information.