Owning a home can be quite a daunting task especially when it comes to monthly expenses such as mortgages, taxes, energy costs, small repairs or even water bills. It’s understandable that cutting down costs is not really an easy job, but there are certain ways to save on water bill and to make your overall utility bill less scary at the end of the year.
The following tips are quite easy to follow and show you just what you need to know on how to save water bill:
1. Purchase a More Efficient Washer
It’s all about going green these days. So if you’re looking for a new washing machine, it’s highly essential to pay close attention to the labels that come with that appliance. Remember, it’s important to get a washer that not only saves up on water but also energy.
In this case, you’ll need to look especially for washers with Energy Star and WaterSense labels. WaterSense appliances will use between 35 to 50% less water, whereas Energy Star ensures that only 50% less energy is consumed. We suggest getting a friend-loading washer, which significantly uses fewer amounts of water than that from a top-loading model.
2. Fix Any Leaky Faucet
You may think that leaky faucets aren’t really a big deal, but if you leave it as it is, you’ll come to realize how expensive each of those drips really is. According to the US Geological Survey, four leaky faucets that have 10 drips in a minute can result in about 1,388 gallons of wasted water every year. So to save on water bill, all you have to do is just go to your nearest hardware store, get a repair kit and then take care of that pesky leak once and for all. Fixing leaky faucets is also one of the ways to save on water bill in an apartment.
3. Install New Faucets
If you’ve tried everything on your end and it still didn’t do anything, then perhaps it would be best to get yourself some new faucets. Fortunately, there is a way for you to conserve water while the tap is running. For this, you’ll need to install either an aerator or a WaterSense-branded faucet. These fixtures will not only reduce the flow of your water without forsaking its performance, but it’s also 30% more efficient than regular faucets. Let’s assume that if one in every 10 US households installs a WaterSense faucet, over 6 billion gallons of water can be saved and more than $50 million in energy costs can be cut down.
4. Watch How Much You Shower
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), showering amounts to 17% of a house’s water usage, which is 40 gallons a day. This means that almost 1.2 trillion gallons of water is being used up in the United States in a single year simply for showering. That’s enough to supply the water needs of both New Jersey and New York for an entire year.
To fix this habit, you can either try limiting your shower time to five or fewer minutes or simply retrofit your shower with a WaterSense-branded showerhead that will allow you to save plenty of water.
5. Have Your Meter Inspected
One of the more interesting ways to save water bill is to inspect your meter, according to the US News and World Report. If the bill turns out much larger than expected, it could be the result of a hidden leak or perhaps even due to an inaccurate reading. If you want to have your meter reread, then you should call your provider and ask for a new reading. You might end up saving even more as a result.
6. Load up Your Dishwasher
Believe it or not, running a fully loaded dishwasher is actually more water-efficient than simply doing it by hand. But when you do this, ensure that you fit in as many dishes as possible. It also reduces the number of times that you need to run it separately for other types of dishes.
But even if you do decide to wash dishes on your own by hand, be sure to first plug the same, have the water filled up close to the top of the mouth of the kitchen sink basin, and then turn the faucet off. This way you can use the water stored up in the basin to wash your dishes without wasting another drop.
7. Ensure Water Softener Isn’t Running Constantly
Whether you have a salt or salt-free water softener, having it run consistently will really push up your water bill. So it’s best to check up on it to ensure it isn’t running when you don’t want it to. If you want some advice on salt or salt-free water softeners, read more here.
8. Don’t Run Water While You Brush Your Teeth
It’s one of the most basic ways to save money on your water bill, but you should really turn off your bathroom faucet as you are brushing your teeth. Not doing so could have you losing over 200 gallons of water in one month. Also, research from North Carolina State University suggests that turning off the faucet while washing hands for 20 seconds can save about six gallons in a day.
9. Purchase Water-Efficient Toilets
According to the EPA, installing water-efficient toilets can use up 20% less water than the current standard of one point six gallons in a single flush. And even though low-flow toilets have a spotty record when starting out, the new models from today have long since corrected the issues that have bothered homeowners back then. So if you feel that your toilet needs an upgrade, be sure to get yourself a low-flow one.
10. Choose the Right Time to Water Your Garden
Another effective way to save on water bill at home is to water the garden early in the morning, late in the afternoon or perhaps in the evening. Watering in the middle of the day is a bad idea as the heat from the sun will cause the water to evaporate.
