Modern taps often come with built-in pressure systems that reduce the amount of water they use. However, if the taps in your house are old, then they probably don't do this. As a result, you may be using more water than you need.
To save water, you can add aerators to your taps. How do these devices work, and should you put them on all your taps?
What Is a Tap Aerator?
Tap aerators are devices that sit on the end of a tap or inside its spout; they can be made from metal or plastic.
When a tap has an aerator fitted to it, it can use less water without affecting water pressure. The aerator mixes the water that comes out of the tap with air.
This air/water combination maintains pressure, so you won't notice much of a difference when you use the tap in terms of power. However, mixing air into the water means that less water runs out of the tap whenever you turn it on. If you reduce the amount of water you use, you waste less and pay less.
Can You Fit Aerators on All Your Taps?
While you may not notice much of a difference when you wash your hands in a sink with aerated taps, some of your taps won't work so well with these devices. The air/water mixture means that water takes longer to run out of the tap.
You may not be bothered by this in your kitchen or bathroom sink. You still get enough water out to wash your hands or rinse something under the tap. It may take a little longer to fill a washing up bowl, but that's generally not a big problem.
You probably don't want to fit an aerator to a bath tap, however. Bath taps will run a lot more slowly if they have aerators in. It could take a lot longer to fill your bath, so these taps are best left alone.
If you're interested in saving water, your plumber is a good place to start. They can check out your taps to see if they are suitable for aerators. If they are, they can fit them.
Your plumber can also talk to you about other ways to reduce your water usage. For example, if your bath taps are really old but you don't want to fit aerators to them, your plumber could recommend and install a low-pressure option that would use less water.