Freshwater is a limited resource, and as the population rises, the cost to treat and filter a city water supplies rises as well. Reducing your overall water use isn’t only great for the environment — it can also save you a good chunk of change on your water bill.
Many ways to save water are simple lifestyle adjustments that can be incorporated into your daily routine. Do your part to conserve water with our top cost-saving, water-saving tips.
With all the money you save on your water bill, you will be able to put aside a decent sum to invest in better water quality for your family. A home water filtration system from Express Water eliminates over 52 harmful contaminants from your drinking water to deliver simply pure filtered water every day.
Conserve Water Inside Your Home
- Don’t run half-loads — Whether it’s your washing machine or your dishwasher, running a cycle on an appliance that is half-full wastes many gallons of water. Pre-rinsing dishes wastes water as well — just rely on a powerful detergent. If you want to save money with your washing machine don’t use the permanent press option, as this will use an additional 5 gallons per cycle.
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Use a shower bucket — Leave a bucket near the drain of your tub while you shower. You can reuse this water to feed your plants or do some dishes later in the day, cutting back on your daily water use. Did you know you can also use the water you boil pasta into water plants? They love the nutrients! Don’t pour it down the sink.
- Add weight to your toilet tank — Fill two plastic bottles with an inch or so of sand or pebbles, and then top them off with water. Place these two bottles in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water your toilet uses, saving as much as 10 gallons of water per day (about half a gallon per flush). Alternatively, place a brick at the bottom of the tank to achieve a similar effect. However, if you see a WaterSense® logo avoid this method of conserving water, as it could fill your bathroom with an unpleasant odor.
Conserve Water Outdoors
- Check your water meter — There can be stealth leaks anywhere in or around your house. To determine if the water is escaping from a leak in your plumbing, head outside and check the reading on your water meter. Wait for a 120-minute period in which no water is used (so, don’t shower or water your plants) and see if the meter reads differently. If so, there’s a leak!
- Skip the hose — If it’s time to give your car a deep cleaning don’t spray it with a hose. Stick to washing with a bucket and sponge: this method will only use 1 to 3 gallons of water. Hosing your car will waste 6 gallons of water per minute on average. If you want a thorough car wash drive to a car wash that recycles water instead of washing your car at home.
- Fight evaporation — Don’t water your lawn during the day: watering your lawn while the sun is out will result in plenty of water loss from evaporation. Many cities have ordinances in place forbidding homeowners from watering lawns outside of early morning or evening hours. You can also save water by covering your pool when not in use — that pool water will evaporate, too!
Update Your Home
- Install low-flow shower heads — you can be wasting more money than you realize simply by keeping the original shower heads in your bathroom. Through the EPA’s WaterSense® program it is easy to find a water-efficient showerhead, which can save your family around 2,900 gallons of water per year.
- Upgrade fixtures and appliances — Low flow shower heads are fairly affordable, families with larger budgets can also upgrade to low-flow toilets, install WaterSense® washing machines and dishwashers, and aerate their faucets to further reduce water use.
And there you have it—simple ways to save money on your water bills. Good luck!
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