Practical New Year’s resolutions are a new trend in 2019. Among one of the most popular is lowering utility bills of all kinds. Water certainly falls into this category, as it is easy to overlook the excessive use of water. Fortunately, there are simple tips you can follow to not only conserve this precious resource, but also to lower your monthly water bill.
Hot Water Tips
To conserve hot water, fill your sink or a basin with hot water and wash your dishes all at once. Then, rinse them separately rather than leaving the tap running the entire time you wash each item. Additionally, instead of running warm tap water over frozen foods, take them from the freezer in advance and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator or on your kitchen counter. You should also consider a tankless hot water heater, which reduces heating costs and hot water wait times.
Tips for Shortening Shower Time
Showers are responsible for approximately 17 percent of your indoor water use. Fortunately, you can save over 12 gallons of water per shower by simply shortening your shower time from ten to five minutes. You should also consider installing a modern shower head designed to conserve water regardless of how long you like to spend in the shower.
Our plumbers in Laguna Niguel have two recommendations for cutting down your shower time. The first and most obvious would be to set an alarm on your phone. The second tip is to find two songs that you can play on your phone that have a combined duration of 5 minutes.
Fix Leaky Faucets
Never procrastinate if you have a leaky faucet. A leaking faucet that drips only one time per second wastes approximately 190 gallons of water per month. Another great water conservation tip is turning the water off when you brush your teeth, and then turning it back on to rinse.
Install an Energy Efficient Dishwasher
Because of advancements in modern technology, it is now possible to obtain a dishwasher that is highly energy-efficient. Replacing an old outdated dishwasher with a newer model can lead to significantly less water usage. Other tips to conserve water when using this appliance are making sure you only run full loads and washing lightly soiled dishes by hand.
Replace Old or Leaky Toilets
Approximately 30 percent of your indoor water consumption comes from flushing your commode, and toilets waste a tremendous amount of water in the average household. This is particularly true if they are outdated models or have leaks. In fact, a commode that leaks can waste approximately 200 gallons of water per day, which significantly raises your water bill and wastes this important resource.
Laundry
Adjusting your home’s washing machine to meet a lower demand is a great way to reduce the amount of water you use. This is easy to accomplish by never running the washing machine on the full setting if you are only washing a small load. Additionally, you should avoid running extra rinse or pre-wash cycles, as these settings ultimately make little difference with regard to how clean your laundry gets, but can waste a considerable amount of water in the process.
If you keep track of your water bill while using the aforementioned tips, you will likely be pleasantly surprised with how much water you conserve.