Living in a house is excellent until it racks up a huge annual bill, including energy costs, repairs and maintenance, property mortgages and taxes, and water bills. As per a report by the AWWA (American Water Works Association), drinking water improvements and upgrades are expected to increase up to one trillion dollars by the next fifteen years. This cost will mostly be passed on to you. And if you’re someone living in a suburban or rural area, your bill could be tripled to what it’s now as there are fewer residents in those areas to share the cost. Luckily, we are here to give you essential tips and ways to save on the water bill.
Below are a few essential tips that you need to know about how to reduce water bills:
Efficient appliances
If you want to save on the water bill, you need to have efficient appliances. The appliances with Energy Star seals and WaterSense can save almost 50% of water and energy usage. So the next time you buy new washers, look for the labels that specify the machine’s efficiency.
Here’s a piece of advice: consider buying a front-loading washing machine as it uses less water than its top-loading counterpart.
Install water-conserving taps
How to save money on the water bill? The most common answer to this question is to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. But did you know? There’s a way to save on the water bill even if the tap is running? New watersense-certified tap models are 30% more efficient as they lessen the water flow without giving in the performance.
Better usage of existing appliances
No matter what appliances you have, there’s always a way to use it more efficiently. So, if you’re looking for how to reduce the water bill, you need to fully load your washing machine to reduce the number of times it runs. As for washing dishes, run a dishwasher when it’s loaded completely for more efficient results. Dishwashers are relatively more water-efficient than washing dishes by hand. But if you don’t have a dishwasher, you can still conserve water by plugging the sink and using a washbasin to clean dishes.
Fix the leakages
Small leaks in water pipes can drain gallons of water every day. Investigate the leakages and fix them as soon as possible to avoid an abnormally high water bill (especially if you live in an already-expensive city like Phoenix; check this post to learn more about water bills there).
Here’s a piece of advice: to find out whether your toilet has leakage or not, add a few drops of food color to the tank. If the color of the bowel changes within 15 minutes, your toilet has a leakage. You can also take a toilet seat test so that in case there is a leakage, it can be repaired as soon as possible and prevent the water from wasting.
Lower the flow of the shower-head
Lower the flow of the shower-head and turn it off while you apply soap/shampoo. You can switch the shower on when you’re set to rinse. Adding this essential tip to your everyday morning routine can save up to 50% of the water that you normally use. Furthermore, if you reduce your time in the shower by four minutes, you can conserve 4,000 gallons of water and save $100 each year.
Reduce water in the flush tank
Reducing water swirling down the drain after every time you use your toilet can be really helpful in how to save on the water bill. To conserve water, you can purchase a tank bank, or you can also make your own. All you need to do is:
- take two plastic bottles
- add few pebbles inside (to increase the weight)
- fill these bottles with water
- tightly put the cap on the bottles
- install them in your toilet tank
Don’t forget to place them apart from the operating mechanism or any moving object in the toilet tank.
Start a compost pile
Septic tanks and junk in the drainage can really consume a large amount of water, as Garbage disposal units need a huge amount of running water to decrease the solid volume. You can reduce maintenance issues by simply composting piles of food scraps rather than sending them down the basin. This has two added benefits: first, it saves on the water bill, and it’s a free and useful garden enhancer.
Wash less, sweep more
Whether you want to clean your driveway, stairs or sidewalks, always sweep away the debris and dirt with a broom. On average, you can save 50 gallons of water each time you drop the water spraying pipe and pick the broomstick. Likewise, turn off the hose between rinses when you’re washing your car. This can save about 140 gallons of water.
Cover the pool
Pools usually account for a large amount of water, which eventually evaporates within a few days. Therefore, to reduce evaporation of water, place a cover over it when the pool is not used. This can save a lot of money and reduce your annual water bill.
Grow native plants
Growing drought-resistant plants in the yard are one of many ways to save on the water bill. Another water-efficient gardening tip is to go for native plants, as they require fewer resources and less care to maintain. These plants have survived for ages in the region. And so, they are best suited to grow in local conditions. Also, place water sprinklers in a position close to plants, as you won’t be doing good on your water bill if you water the sidewalks or driveways.
Wrapping Up!
If you notice a sudden increase in the water bill, contact your provider and ask them to reread your meter. Leakages or inaccurate readings can be a reason behind a short-term spike in the water bill. Fix them and apply these essential tips as soon as possible to reduce your water bill. With this, even if you save as little as $25 every month, you’re still getting an extra $300 by the end of the year.
