Water is a precious resource, and even in a country like the United States, conserving it should still be a top priority for people. Beyond that, however, water conservation is also important for another reason: your budget.
For people who are looking to cut their water bills, reduced use is the key to making this happen. So with that in mind, here are some simple and easy ways you can lower your water bills this year.
Opt for Showers Instead of Baths
Did you know that taking a bath wastes significantly more water than taking a shower? This is especially true if you like to fill the bath all the way, which can use up to 70 gallons of water!
By contrast, a shower will only use about 10 to 25 gallons of water. If you have a family of four and everybody switches from daily baths to daily showers, then you could save well over a thousand gallons of water each week.
Inspect Your Home Regularly for Leaks
In your Ontario, CA home’s plumbing, you could save up to 10,000 gallons of water every year by inspecting for and fixing leaks promptly.
To get started, begin performing regular leak-detection inspections around the house. To do this, go around and check all your faucets and visible pipes for dripping.
Listen to all the toilets to see if they’re running, and check walls, floors, and ceilings for pools, puddles, discoloration, and other signs of water damage. Finally, if you think you have a leak but aren’t sure, there’s a simple test you can do to find out for sure:
- Check the water meter reading
- Don’t use any water in the house for two hours
- Check the meter reading again
- A change in the reading indicates a leak
Reuse Greywater for Your Plants
Greywater is water that’s already been used once in your house, but that hasn’t been contaminated with pathogens or used in the toilet. Examples of greywater include water from the washing machine, from cooking pasta, from the shower or sink, or from washing dishes.
Water from these sources typically gets dumped down the drain, but you can actually reuse it in the garden to water flowers, the lawn, and other plants. In fact, you can even use greywater to feed your vegetable garden, as long as you’re careful to avoid the edible parts of the plants when watering.
Take Your Car to a Car Wash Instead of Hand Washing in the Driveway
Lots of people think that washing the car in the driveway instead of taking it to a car wash is a great way to save time, money, and water. But the truth is that hand washing is probably wasting more of all three resources than it’s saving, especially the water.
Although a professional car wash will cost more up front, the water you’ll save could balance this out. When you wash your car in the driveway, you’re typically using about 100 gallons of water, and that’s money that could be spent at a proper car wash, which will use less than half of that water.
Saving water is important not just for the environment, but also for your wallet. Every drop of water you save is more money in your pocket, and these simple water-saving tips for around the house will help get you started on being a more water-conscious citizen, and both the planet and your bank account will thank you for it.