Money Saving Tips: How to Lower Your Water Bill

Every year, especially in the summer, it seems like your water bill keeps going higher. However, water is necessary for all aspects of life.

Believe it or not, the typical American uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. Even more astounding is that the average family of four uses 16,000 gallons a month! Surely, using that much water isn’t necessary.

Fortunately, learning how to lower your water bill isn’t difficult.

Assuming you aren’t watering your yard, you could use less than 100 gallons of water a week, rather than in only one day.

Keep reading to learn how to lower your water bill significantly!

How to Lower Your Water Bill

Making changes and cutting back always requires sacrifice. It’s true of dieting, saving energy, gas, and even water.

However, learning how to lower your water bill is easy. All it takes is time to adjust to the new habits you’ll be forming. It won’t lower your quality of life, turn you into a dirty person, or interfere in any way.

Check out these ten tips for implementing water-conscious living!

1. Take Shorter Showers or Military Showers

We all know how nice it feels to sit in a hot shower after a long day or in the morning before work. It feels so good that we rarely want to leave.

However, every minute you stay in the shower, you’re using over 2 gallons of water. Therefore, those nice 30-minute showers are costing you big bucks in the form of 60 plus gallons of water!

Instead of wasting more water in one shower than people in other countries get in a month, cut your showers down as much as possible. Try to keep it between five and seven minutes.

Alternatively, you can start taking “military showers” to use as little as three gallons of water or less. This is a technique where you turn the water on to get wet, and off while you’re lathering up. You turn the water on for a second time to rinse off and then you’re done.

If you take a military shower, make sure it isn’t breezy in your bathroom, or it will get cold!

2. Fix Any Water Leaks

While looking for ways to lower your water bill, check around the house for any major and minor water leaks. The dripping water spigot outside could waste several gallons a month. Typically, a leaky spigot only needs a new rubber gasket, which is an easy fix.

Additionally, look around the inside of the home at all the faucets, exposed water pipes, water heater, and other appliances that use water. Small leaks in any of those add up, too.

If the leaks are bad enough or outside your realm of expertise, you may need to hire a plumber.

3. Use Low Flow Products and Appliances

While saving money is the goal, we realize that buying new appliances to save on water doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, if you need new appliances anyways, consider buying water and energy-efficient appliances.

These appliances are Energy Star appliances and are more efficient than their counterparts.

4. Collect Rain Water

Many people use their gutter systems to collect rainwater. It’s not a bad idea. While you may not want to drink it, you can do some household chores with the rainwater.

For example, you can use it to water your plants, top off your pool or hot tub, or wash your car. If you want to get in-depth, you can get a giant basin for rainwater to collect in, add a pump, and use connect it to your home for flushing toilets, doing laundry, running the dishwater, etc.

5. Only Use Full Loads in Your Washer

Next, look at how much laundry and dishes you’re doing in a single load.

You don’t want to stuff so much laundry in that your machine can’t do its job, but running half loads in your washer or dishwasher wastes water. Maximize their potential!

6. Don’t Leave The Tap Running

An awful habit most of us have adopted is allowing the tap to run for various things throughout the day. We do it while we’re washing dishes, brushing our teeth, washing our face, and more.

Instead, use the tap sparingly and only when you need water. Also, consider using a washcloth to rinse your face after washing it, rather than scooping up handfuls of water multiple times.

7. Sweep, Don’t Spray

Another great tip for how to lower your water bill involves a broom.

Instead of using a pressure sprayer or regular hose attachment to clean off your driveway, do it the old fashioned way. Get a broom and sweep it all off.

Alternatively, if you abhor sweeping, you can always use a leaf blower.

8. Trick Your Toilet

Our toilet tanks fill up until it trips the floating stopper. However, toilets tanks use a couple of gallons of water for each flush.

To trick your toilet into using less water, put a bottle of water or two in the tank. They will take up space and raise the water level without adding as much water. Experiment with it to see how much water you need.

Alternatively, if you’ve been itching for a bathroom remodel, now would be a good time to replace your toilet, faucets, and shower head with eco-friendly models!

9. Use Your Garbage Disposal Less

Limiting the use of your garbage disposal is another great way how to lower your water bill. Every time you use it, you must use it with running water. By cutting out your usage, you cut down on the water.

Many homes get by fine without garbage disposals. If you don’t want to throw it all away, you can use it for compost in your garden.

10. Don’t Cut the Grass Too Short

Finally, although most of us live in neighborhoods where people get snobby if your grass is too long, cutting it too short isn’t good either.

When you cut the grass too short, the roots become more exposed to the sun, causing the grass to burn up much easier on hot summer days. Instead, adjust your mower a couple of notches so the grass provides shade against the harmful rays of the sun.

Then, you don’t have to water it as much to keep it nice and green!

Start Today

Stop wasting ample amounts of water. While we will likely never run out of water in America, some countries struggle to get clean water every day.

We even have places in the US with severe shortages. However, you can start learning how to lower your water bill. Take these tips to heart and start making changes!

And remember, if you need a plumber to help you with those water leaks, you can drop us a line and let us know!