We’ve all been there. You get your monthly water bill, which is far higher than expected. It’s so high you wonder if your neighbor was using your water hose to fill their pool without your knowledge. But no, slowly but surely, your water bill has increased in price due to tiny habits your family has formed around the house. To help, we’ve compiled 20 tips to help you save money on your water bill.
1. Fix leaky faucets
Leaky faucets can be easy to ignore. How much money could a dripping faucet cost you anyway? Turns out, it is a lot. A dripping tap can result in over 3,000 gallons of water wasted in a year, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency.) That is over 180 showers worth of water. To fix leaky faucets, head to your local hardware store and purchase a repair kit. The minimal investment could help you save hundreds of dollars over time.
2. Don’t let the bathroom faucet run
Speaking of faucets, be sure to turn the tap off while you are brushing your teeth or shaving to conserve water. Fill the sink with water while shaving, or turn the faucet off until you finish brushing your teeth.
3. Run full loads of laundry
Another way to lower your water bill is to ensure you are being as efficient as possible with your water usage. Instead of running your washing machine to wash just a few shirts at a time, wait until you have a full load to wash before starting the engine. This will also prevent unnecessary wear and tear on your machine. That means a lower water bill and a longer life for your washing machine.
4. Install efficient shower heads
Got old shower heads? They may need to be more efficient. In 1992, the EPA specified that shower heads should have a flow rate limit of 2.5 gallons per minute. If your shower heads predate the new federal guidelines, they may be expelled over 5 gallons per minute. Purchasing new shower heads could result in 136 fewer gallons of water per shower.
5. Limit your showers
Everyone loves a long shower. However, according to the EPA, showers account for 17% of the average home’s water use. Even with energy-efficient shower heads, 30-minute showers every night can significantly affect your water bill. Consider cutting your batteries down to five minutes or less to conserve water.
6. Turn off the shower between rinses.
With 2.5 gallons of water coming out of your shower head every minute, it’s best to make them count. You can conserve dozens of gallons of water by turning off your shower while you lather up your shampoo, conditioner, face wash, or soap.
7. Heat up cooking water on the stove
When cooking, a lot of water can be wasted while you wait for it to heat up from the kitchen faucet. To save water, consider heating cool water on the stove instead.
8. Store drinking water in the fridge
Like waiting for the faucet to heat up for cooking, a lot of water can be wasted while you wait for it to cool down to a drinking temperature. Instead of drinking water from the tap, store water in the fridge, which is also nice and cool when you need a drink.
9. Don’t hand-wash dishes
From scrubbing to rinsing to cleaning the sink, hand-washing dishes uses a lot of water. Luckily, dishwashers use only 16% less water by washing your words in the dishwasher.
10. Don’t rinse off dishes under running water
When rinsing off dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, don’t run the faucet. To save water, fill up a bowl or pot with water to use to rinse the dishes. It doesn’t matter if the water is clean by the third or fourth dish since they will be sterilized in the dishwasher.
11. Wait until your dishwasher is full to run
Like your washing machine, you can save gallons of water by waiting until the dishwasher is full to press “start.” You’ll be saving water and adding years to the life of your dishwasher.
12. Water your lawn at the right time
If you water your lawn or garden at the hottest time of day, a lot of the water will quickly evaporate before it can water your grass or garden. Be sure to turn your sprinklers on or water your lawn with the hose in the morning or evening to ensure that water isn’t wasted.
13. Collect rainwater
To save even more water when watering your lawn, you can skip the garden hose and use rainwater instead. Use a water cistern or any large container to collect rainwater. You can use this water for your lawn and garden for free.
14. Install faucet aerators
To save even more water, you can install faucet aerators on every faucet in your home. Faucet aerators are small screens that screw onto kitchen and bathroom faucets. These screens introduce air into the stream of water and limit the amount of water that comes out, saving you water without any inconvenience.
15. Upgrade to water-efficient toilets
You can dramatically reduce your water usage by upgrading to water-efficient toilets in your home. The average efficient toilet uses less than 1.3 gallons of water per flush. That’s about 30 seconds of water in the shower. When it’s time for a toilet upgrade in your home, consider water-efficient toilets to lower your water bill.
16. Put soda bottles in your toilet
No time for a toilet upgrade? You can reduce the amount of water your current toilet uses to flush by adding a soda bottle or two to the back of your toilet. Take the old soda bottles, fill them with sand or pebbles, and add them to the back of your toilet. This will take up space in the back of your toilet that would otherwise fill with water between flushes, resulting in less water usage when the toilet is flushed.
17. Fix running toilets immediately
Speaking of toilets, be sure to fix a running toilet immediately. Running toilets can waste gallons of water an hour and result in sky-high water bills at the end of the month.
18. Cover Your Pool
It is no surprise that pools use a lot of water. However, you can hold onto that water longer by covering your pool between uses. This ensures that your pool water isn’t evaporating in the sun between swims.
19. Start Composting
What does composting have to do with water conservation? When you shove food scraps in the garbage disposal, you end up using a lot of water to rinse them down. Instead of risking clogged pipes and wasting water, start a compost bin and use those scraps to feed your garden.
20. Get creative
There are dozens of ways to conserve water in your home. Sometimes, you have to get creative. You can reuse shower water, dishwater, dog bowl water, cooking water, mop water, and old drinking water in your garden instead of using your hose. When ice cubes fall on the floor, you can throw them right into a potted plant instead of the sink. By getting creative, you can lower your water bill in no time.
Have questions about conserving water? Need some plumbing repairs done around your house to lower your bill? Give us a call. We would love to help you!