If You’re Not Doing These 4 Things, You Are Probably Overpaying Your Water Bill

It’s something we take for granted in modern life. In some ways, we almost resent it because we have to pay a bill for it every month.

But if we didn’t have clean, safe drinking water delivered right to our home with the turn of a tap, our American way of life simply wouldn’t be possible. But just because you pay for it every month, doesn’t mean you have to pay the amount you’re currently billed for. We’ve got four important tips you can put to use to start reducing your bill.

Try Grey Water for the Garden

People who love gardens and green lawns need to satisfy a lot of very thirsty plants, and that will always take a big chunk of water.

Most people pay for it from their garden hose, but there is an alternative. Take gently used water from cooking and cleaning and collect it for plants instead.

This “grey water” as it is called may not be great for humans to drink, but thirsty plants can still get plenty of use from it. For even more water efficiency, put a rain barrel in your yard, and have literally gallons of grey water that will never come out of your tap or your monthly water bill.

Try Self-Serve Car Washing

The traditional car wash costs you a bit more money, but you save on time and elbow grease.

Washing a car at home means you don’t pay from your pocket, but it does take effort, uses gallons of your own water that you’ll pay for, and drains water laced with cleaning chemicals into the sewer.

Next time, if you have the option, try a self-service car wash. This is much cheaper than a regular car wash, and you don’t drain any chemicals into a sewer. The car wash takes care of everything!

Stop Leaks

The worst type of expense on your bill is one you’re not even using. A leak in your plumbing may not ever make it to a tap, or your washing machine, but as far as your water meter is concerned, it is water that’s been used and you have to pay for it.

Use your water meter to confirm the presence of a leak. Check the leak indicator if your meter is new enough. For older meters, take a reading, don’t use water for 10 minutes to an hour, then see if your meter has still gone up. Once you confirm a leak, get it located and fixed.

Take Fewer Baths

If you take a bath regularly, that relaxing experience in the tub also requires about 20-50 gallons of water.

Doing that on a regular basis makes big demands on your water bill. If you have a modern shower head, you can this down to a fraction.

Modern shower heads only use about 2.5 gallons of water a minute, so a five minute shower is very thrifty with water. If your shower head was installed before 1992, think about an upgrade to get those savings.

Water is essential to both survival and comfort in Vernon, CT but that doesn’t mean you should be wasteful and extravagant with it. Learn to use water wisely, and you’ll not only pay less, but set a good example for the rest of your family.