During the summer months, a household’s average water use could increase, with kids home from school all day and guests staying over for a visit. Appliances are in use more often, washing dishes in the dishwasher and using the washing machine when you may not have full loads. Your water heater must produce more hot water for hand washing and several gallons of water for showers. In the bathroom, faucets are left running while brushing your teeth and toilets flush more times per day with a full household, which may waste several gallons of water per flush. Seasonal heat and dry spells without rain lead to much water consumption for your garden plants and lawn.
This increased amount of water usage raises utility costs, and you pay more money on water bills. Avoid these extra costs and save money on your water when you reduce the amount of water use throughout the day. Williams Comfort Air has compiled simple tips that help you save water in a variety of ways, so your household uses less water and you lower your water bill. Implement these ways to save money and create a more energy and water-efficient home!
What Is the Average Water Bill in Central Indiana?
The average Indiana household uses 1.5 to 2.0 thousand gallons of water per month, per person. Water meters measure a household’s water consumption and usage is billed by CCF, which stands for centum cubic feet, one of which is equal to 748 gallons of water. In Indianapolis, the average household water bill is $35.00 per month.
A household’s water bill can vary greatly from the water bills of their neighbors. The number of people in the home has a great effect on water use, and the way water is used throughout the day is related to water usage and costs. The best way to save money on water and lower your water bill is to find ways to cut back on water usage and just plain use less water.
Best Ways to Save Money on Your Water Bill
Make saving water a priority this summer with these tips that help you consume less water and reduce water-related bills.
Indoor Ways to Save Water
- You may be washing more laundry in your washing machine this summer and washing dishes more frequently in your dishwasher. Make sure you use each machine efficiently. Use the shortest cleaning cycles and skip extra rinses. Only run your washing machine to clean full loads and use cold water instead of hot water whenever possible. Hand washing uses more water than modern dishwashing appliances. When washing dishes, fill the dishwasher with full loads before you start a washing cycle and scrape waste into the trashcan instead of pre-rinsing dishes with water from your kitchen faucet.
- Limit use of your garbage disposal for saving water and energy. While regular use is needed to keep these appliances in good shape, consider composting appropriate waste to limit the amount of material that is handled by the garbage disposal.
- When brushing your teeth, be sure to turn the water faucet off after you wet your toothbrush and turn it back on when you are ready to rinse. Shutting off faucets while brushing your teeth can save as much as 8 gallons of water per use! This is also a good rule to follow when shaving at the sink.
- Take shorter showers to use less water and conserve hot water, which helps your water heater perform in an energy-efficient manner. Turn the water heater thermostat down to 120 degrees to save energy, which will still provide plenty of warmth when you shower. Make sure shower water pressure is adequate so you can complete bathing quickly and take shorter showers.
- If your home has older tank toilets, reduce the amount of water needed to fill the tank by reducing the amount of space in the tank. Find a plastic bottle that will fit within the toilet tank without getting in the way of the tank lid or interior components and use it to create a toilet dam. Fill it with water and place it inside the tank of each of the toilets in the home.
Outdoor Water Saving Tips
- If you have a pool in your backyard, be sure to keep it covered whenever it is not in use. A cover prevents evaporation that can deplete the pool’s water, forcing you to fill it more.
- Inspect garden hoses, hose bibbs, and each sprinkler head for damage and leaks. If damaged, repair or replace these items to avoid wasting gallons of water.
- Water the garden during the early morning hours. This allows water to effectively soak into the roots of your plants. If you water plants during the heat of the day, water will quickly evaporate, leaving less water for your garden flowers and other greenery. Mulch flowerbeds with a 3-inch layer of cedar or hardwood to help protect plants from the heat and provide moisture.
- Mow grass so that the blades are 3 to 4 inches in length – this allows the plants to develop deeper root systems to better locate water in the soil. It’s best to rely on rain alone to water your lawn rather than using a sprinkler or garden hose. Consider installing a rain barrel to collect rainwater that can be used for supplemental watering, saving you money. If you must water the lawn, do so before 10 a.m. and never water during high winds – heat and wind cause water to evaporate quickly, leaving little water for the plants.
- If you use a sprinkler system, adjust their position so that only intended patches of lawn are watered. You’ll use less water when your sprinklers are not watering sidewalks and driveways by accident.
- When clearing walkways and driveways of grass clippings and debris, just use a broom instead of spraying water from a garden hose.
- Instead of washing your car at home, go to a car wash instead. Commercial car washes use less water and recycle water, whereas a typical garden hose can use up to 10 gallons per minute. If you prefer washing your vehicle at home, fill a bucket with water and use this water to lather up your car. Rinse using a hose sprayer and shut it off once finished.
Other Factors That Make Your Water Bill High
- Leaks can result in significant water waste, ending in a sizeable amount of money wasted, too. Even a slow drip from a faucet has the potential to waste a lot of water down your drain – at just one tiny drip each second, over 3,000 gallons of water are wasted each year! In the average U.S. home, around 10,000 gallons of water are lost annually through leaks.
Faucets, a shower head, your toilet tank, and other components inside toilets are common leak sources. Take time now to find and fix leaks from your home’s plumbing fixtures. Not only will doing so stop water waste and generate savings, but it will also help your bathroom and kitchen fixtures including toilets, faucets, and showers last longer.
Old Fixtures Aren’t Efficient
In many older homes, older plumbing fixtures such as toilets and faucets are still in use. Newer models must abide by regulations related to water consumption and use less water as they work. If your home is outfitted with older fixtures that aren’t water efficient, it pays to upgrade and install new fixtures that use less water. Doing so instantly increases savings because you reduce the amount of water they require.
- Toilets manufactured prior to 1982 use 5 to 7 gallons per flush. Prior to 1993, toilets use up to 3.5 gallons per flush. Those made after 1994 can only use up to 1.6 gallons of water per flush and newer WaterSense rated models use 1.28 gallons or less per flush!
- A current standard shower head uses 5 gallons of water per minute, while older units can use more. Efficient, low-flow WaterSense models use no more than 2.0 gallons per minute, automatically reducing water consumption by 20%.
- Older bathroom faucets have a flow rate up to 5 gallons per minute. Today, a standard bathroom faucet emit 2.2 gallons per minute, while efficient, water-saving low flow WaterSense faucets use no more than 5 gallons per minute.
- A standard clothes washing machine uses 20 gallons per load, while ENERGY STAR® models use 14 gallons per load or less.
- When you install an ENERGY STAR® dishwasher, you could save as much as 7,000 gallons per year!
Implement Ways to Save Money on Water Bills with Williams Comfort Air
The licensed Central Indiana plumbers of Williams Comfort Air are here to help you find ways to save money and lower your water bill through plumbing repairs and upgrades. Whether you need help to stop a leak or wish to replace old plumbing appliances and fixtures with new models that average lower flow rates and consume less water per use, we have you covered. To schedule service or request an estimate, give us a call today!
