Are those water bills causing you trouble? Let’s take care of them!
With inflation affecting the entire nation these past few years, the last thing you want to deal with in your life is a hefty water bill. So, let’s talk about ways to save money on that bill without forgoing hygiene altogether!
We won’t deny that taking a scalding, hot shower is one of the best experiences of our human existence, especially in winter. But spend too much time in there, and you’ll inevitably feel the pain when that pesky water bill arrives!
But that’s not the only way your water bill can seriously damage your wallet. So read on to learn about 6 sneaky ways of lowering your water bill.
Take shorter showers
We get it! We apologize for even suggesting it. But if you learn to take shorter showers, it’ll be one of the fastest ways to save money on water. Shorter showers daily can add up to some big-time savings come bill time.
Every minute in the shower uses roughly 2.5 gallons of water. And we found out that the average American showers for eight minutes. That means that if you can cut down your shower to even five minutes, you can shave off 7.5 gallons from your water bill.
Now, if you do this every time you take a shower, it adds up. Also, taking shorter showers can save you on the electric and gas bills!
The Department of Energy says that your water heater accounts for approximately 18% of your monthly utility payments. Your new shorter shower routine will save you money on more fronts!
Save your soda bottles
Another fantastic way to cut down on waste and lower your water bill in your bathroom is to add a couple of plastic bottles to your toilet tank. After each flush, the bottles take up some of the space in the toilet tank that would normally be refilled with water.
The end result is that you can lower the amount of water you send down the drain. To accomplish this, take two plastic bottles and place about two inches of pebbles or sand inside them to weigh them down.
Then, fill the bottles with water, put the lids back on, and place them in your toilet tank, ensuring that they’re away from any operating mechanisms or moving parts. Alternatively, you could also buy an inexpensive float booster or tank bank.
Purchase low-flow toilets
As we mentioned, toilets are one of our most significant sources of water waste inside a person’s home. They can account for 30% of indoor water use! Your situation could be even worse if you’ve got an old model. Old, ineffective toilets can guzzle up to 6 gallons of water per flush!
You can save yourself about $140 annually on your water bill by switching out an older toilet to a low-flow WaterSense-labeled one. You’ll also conserve roughly 13,000 gallons of water! But replacing old toilets costs money, right? Of course, it does!
But trust us when we say that a new toilet will pay for itself in no time at all. Besides this, many water companies will offer rebates or even cover the cost of an inexpensive low-flow toilet.
Since you can snag a low-flow toilet for about $120, it could pay for itself within a year. And this is one of those DIY tasks that sounds harder than it is. Replacing a toilet is easy. Just grab a buddy and get to work!
Load up that dishwasher
Just because the dishwasher saves you lots of time, it doesn’t mean you should run it whenever you have to use a glass or cup of coffee. Only run it when it’s fully loaded to avoid a high water bill and trampling on all those savings.
Remember that it takes the same amount of water to wash a full load as it does a half load. So take advantage of those Tetris skills and fill it as much as possible… without overstuffing it, of course. Many dishwashers have a speed wash cycle if you need to run a half load.
So, use that for smaller loads to save funds on water! And while we’re on this topic, don’t pre-rinse your dishes. This might sound absurd, but using your dishwasher rather than hand washing can reduce water usage, saving you more money!
Studies show that washing your dishes by hand requires between 9 and 27 gallons of water for a sink full of dishes. On the other hand, dishwashers typically use 5 gallons of water per load due to a Department of Energy regulation.
Eco settings on dishwashers can save even more cash on water, but the cycle tends to take a bit longer. So, if you plan on running your dishwasher overnight, use an eco setting for extra savings!
Investigate any leaks you may have
Even if you have a small drip somewhere in your home, it can waste a lot of water over time. How much? Apparently, one single drip every ten seconds in an average house can waste roughly 104 gallons a year!
Also, any damage done to your plumbing gets much worse the longer you hold off on repairs. So it’s always best to fix any sort of leaks ASAP. Be sure to regularly check your fixtures and plumbing, and ensure everything shuts off tight.
There are also plenty of resources available on YouTube to help you fix household leaks. Once you’ve performed any required repairs, you can instantly save more every month on your water bills.
Invest in better faucets
We already know that turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth saves more water, but did you know you can also conserve it with the tap running? To do this, install an aerator or a WaterSense-certified faucet to your sink. Here’s a good example from Amazon.
It reduces the flow without you having to compromise your sink’s performance and is 30% more efficient than traditional faucets. So it can cut down on your water bill.
Here’s a fun fact you may not have considered: If one in every 10 homes in the US installed WaterSense faucets, it would save a whopping 6 billion gallons of water and over $50 million in energy costs!
Let’s get real… How much can you ACTUALLY save on your water bill?
By taking a few steps now to reduce your water usage, you’re not only helping to conserve a cherished resource, you’re also saving significant amounts of money!
Shaving just a few dollars off your monthly water bill can add up to a massive impact on your wealth-building capabilities. Sure, saving $50 a month on utilities is great, but have you ever thought about what that money could do for you if you invested it?
Think about it: The rule of 173 allows us to assess what a monthly investment could turn into over ten years. That means that if you were to invest your $50 water savings every month, you could have an extra $8,650.
And if you were to save and invest $100 a month, you’d be looking at an additional $17,300 in your accounts! So how does THAT sound?
Can you think of any other ways of saving money on a water bill? Be sure to let our readers know in the comments section below. And if you liked this article, you may want to also check out: Top 10 Most Budget-Friendly Supermarkets in the US
