Water is one resource that we all use daily. From drinking water to cleaning, the importance and our dependence upon water cannot be overstated. In recent years, we have seen a greater emphasis on conserving and using this vital resource more responsibly. But did you know that simply having hard water, or water with high mineral content, can have a great negative impact on your environmental footprint when left untreated? If you’re trying to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle, let’s look at what hard water means for the environment.

REDUCE YOUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Hard water creates a buildup of “scale,” or mineral residue, that reduces the efficiency of your appliances and causes them to require more energy to complete their tasks. According to the American Society of Plumbing Engineers, as little as 1/16-inch of scale can increase energy consumption by 11%. Similarly, the Water Quality Research Council claims that it costs 29% more to heat untreated water. In contrast, the energy required to run a water softener over the course of one year is the same as what an alarm clock uses in a year while increasing the efficiency of all your water-using appliances.

REDUCE YOUR PRODUCT CONSUMPTION

Hard water not only reduces the efficiency of your appliances but also their lifespan. Shopping joy aside, the eco-conscious consumer can reduce their guilt by switching to water softening systems that extend equipment lifespan, meaning less scrap disposal.

Homes and buildings that have hard water must also use more chemicals and detergents to match the cleaning results achieved when using softened water. For every grain of water hardness, detergent use increases by 2-4% per 1,000 gallons of water used. Hard water also means that more wastewater and impurities are transported to the sewer.

Soft water reduces detergent use by up to 25%. This applies to your shampoo, shower gel, and skincare too. With less contaminants, you’ll need much less of all your personal and household cleaning supplies, consuming fewer plastic bottles from under the sink, in the bathroom, and ultimately in the oceans.

REDUCE WASTE

In addition to the trash created by cleaning products, single-use water bottles are a costly alternative to tap water that also creates massive amounts of waste. These plastic bottles are often not recycled, ending up in landfills where they could take hundreds of years to decompose.

In 2019, American water bottle sales reached over $18 billion (according to data from Chicago-based Information Resources Inc.). In contrast, a reverse osmosis system costs only pennies per gallon, quickly paying for itself while eliminating the waste created by plastic bottles. Bottled water deliveries and dispensers are other options for bringing great-tasting water straight to you, just as often as you need it without the waste.

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

Water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, and bottled water services can directly impact some of our most prolific carbon footprint factors. Just as our name implies, EcoWater is committed to using water responsibly. EcoWater water softeners use fewer than 17.5-kilowatt hours of energy per year. That equates to less than $3.00 per year to operate your EcoWater water softener. In addition, our water softeners, conditioners and refiners regenerate only as needed, saving up to 50% on water and salt versus timer-based models. By offering HydroLink® technology in our water conditioners and refiners, you can monitor your water consumption, creating greater awareness of water usage.

If you’re ready to see how water softeners, reverse osmosis systems, and bottled water services can affect your environmental impact, contact our Mid-MO Water Solutions experts today!