Water is the source of life. It’s something we can’t live without — literally — and a commodity we sometimes take for granted.
Between cooking, cleaning, and staying hydrated, water is used on a daily basis to keep your household running. It’s no surprise, then, that your water bill is so high at the end of the month.
Let’s take a look at five easy ways to reduce your water bill and conserve water!
Fix Leaks
A dripping tap or a running toilet may not seem like a significant issue, but it’s the most common cause of high water bills!
Typically, a faucet that leaks 10 drops of water per minute will waste almost one gallon per day, whereas a running toilet can waste a staggering 200 gallons per day. The longer you wait to schedule a residential plumbing repair in Greensboro, NC, the faster your water meter will run.
Take Shorter Showers
Although there’s nothing quite as relaxing as a nice hot shower at the end of a long work day, this may be one of the reasons why your water bill is so high — particularly if you enjoy long showers.
According to the American Water Works Association, the average shower lasts about eight minutes. Cutting back on your shower time by just one minute can help save around 60 gallons of water a month! This can make a huge difference in your water bill when you consider that showering accounts for nearly 17% of residential indoor water use.
Install a Low-Flow Showerhead
Another way to reduce your water bill is by investing in a low-flow showerhead.
Conventional showerheads use a maximum of 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM), which has been the federal-mandated flow rate since 1992. However, if your bathroom hasn’t been upgraded in the last 20 years, you might have an old showerhead that uses between 5.0-8.0 GPM. This is a lot of wasted water that you can eliminate by installing a low-flow showerhead.
The best low-flow showerhead models use between 1.5-2.0 GPM, which can reduce the amount of water consumed per shower by 20% — all without reducing your water pressure to a trickle.
And if your water pressure is being impacted, don’t be so quick as to blame it on your new showerhead. Hard water can leave behind calcium deposits that clog the nozzle, resulting in low pressure. Clean the showerhead with baking soda and vinegar to remove any gunk covering the holes, and enjoy free-flowing water once again. Better yet, schedule a water softener installation with Greenboro’s trusted plumbers to avoid this problem in the future.
Eliminate Running Water While Shaving and Brushing Your Teeth
Whether you’re concentrating really hard while shaving or absentmindedly brushing your teeth, it’s easy to forget to turn the tap off when you’re not using it. Everyone has made this mistake at least once!
One way to reduce your water bill without much effort is to eliminate running water as much as possible. The next time you brush your teeth, turn the tap off until you’re ready to rinse. If you’re shaving, fill the sink with enough water to clean the razor and turn the tap off.
Each of these steps might seem insignificant and unlikely to help you save much, but when done regularly, they can really make a difference in lowering your high water consumption.
Run Only Full Loads of Dishes and Laundry
Does it seem like you can never catch a break from washing dishes or doing laundry? You might be running your dishwasher or washing machine too often — and likely without filling them all the way up. This is why your water bill is so high!
Not only does this contribute to water waste, but it also causes unnecessary wear and tear for your appliances. It could also be the reason you’re always running out of hot water. Your dishwasher is connected to the water heater and uses a lot of hot water to make sure the dishes are clean and safe for food.
To get the most out of your dishwasher and washing machine, wait until they’re full before running them.
Skip the Hand Washing
If you have a dishwasher but rarely use it, this is definitely another reason why your water bill is so high.
It might seem like your dishwasher is the main culprit of water usage, seeing as it takes between 1-4 hours to run a full load of dishes, but this is, in fact, not true. An ENERGY STAR® dishwasher will use only about 3 gallons of water per cycle, whereas hand washing requires about 27 gallons of water, on average. This is a staggering difference — but it makes sense when you think about it!
Rinsing dishes before and after sudsing is time-consuming, and you likely run the tap throughout the whole process. Dishwashers, on the other hand, are specifically designed to use water efficiently.
So, if you’re looking for an easy way to reduce your water bill, skip the hand washing and use your dishwasher!
Go Green Is Here for All Your Plumbing Needs
Whether you have a leaky faucet or damaged household appliance running up your water bill, Go Green Plumbing is here to help! We work with commercial and residential water lines, sewer lines, irrigation systems, and more! Contact us to schedule a service.
