A slow drip from a faucet may not seem like much, but did you know you have to pay for every last drop? Leaky pipes and faucets can quickly drive up your water bill and put a damper on your budget. Learn how to save money on your water bill by following these quick and easy tips!
Reduce Water in the Bathroom
The bathroom is one of the most expensive areas of the home when it comes to water consumption. Between toilets, bathtubs and brushing your teeth, it’s easy to see how it all adds up. Shorten your showers since this uses the most amount of water and don’t let the water run while you’re brushing your teeth.
Dishwasher vs Hand Washing
Here’s some good news when it comes to saving money on your water bill, using a dishwasher is better than hand washing your dishes. How? Dishwashers are programmed to use a certain amount of water per load. And now with more energy efficient washers on the market you can save more cash.
Invest in Low-Flow Fixtures
Over the years, plumbing fixtures have been upgraded to help conserve water. Low-flow faucet fixtures are designed to reduce the amount of water flowing from the faucet by incorporating air. Install a low-flow shower head so you can get back to those relaxing shower sessions. Adding a low-flow toilet will save you money instead of flushing it down the drain.
Limit Watering Your Lawn
Maintaining a green lawn not only takes a lot of work, but it also takes a lot of water. Reduce your water usage by setting your sprinklers on a timer and adding mulch to you plants. Mulching will help the greenery absorb water and keep saturated for a longer period of time. Adding a rain barrel is also a great way to conserve rain water.
Call a Plumber for an Assessment
If you are practicing these water conservation methods but feel the bill is higher than normal, you may need to call in a professional. A plumber can conduct a thorough assessment of your home’s piping system. A plumber can all also help provide more information on the best ways to conserve water and save money.
Reduce the amount of water you use by following these helpful tips! You’ll not only save money on water bills but you’ll help conserve a necessary natural resource.
Find Hidden Leaks Before They Add Up
A leak doesn’t have to be obvious to drive up the bill. A toilet flapper that’s barely leaking can run dozens of gallons through the bowl every day without making any noise. A slow drip from a worn faucet washer adds up to several thousand gallons a year. None of those would catch your eye, but they all show up on the monthly statement.
The simplest at-home leak check is the meter test. Turn off everything in the home that uses water. Walk to the meter, note the reading and wait 30 minutes without using any water. If the meter has moved, water is leaving the system somewhere. From there, the next steps are checking the toilet flappers (drop a few drops of food coloring into each tank and wait 15 minutes to see if color shows up in the bowl), looking under every sink and inspecting any visible supply lines.
Adjust Your Water Heater
The water heater quietly drives up both the water bill and the energy bill. Two simple changes:
- Set the thermostat to 120 degrees. Many heaters ship at 140, which is hotter than necessary for most household use, harder on the tank and a scald risk for kids
- Insulate the first six feet of hot water pipe leaving the heater. Foam pipe insulation costs little and reduces the heat lost as water moves to the closest fixtures
Both changes pay back quickly and you won’t notice the difference at the tap. They also extend the life of the heater itself, since lower temperatures mean less stress on the tank.
Use Each Appliance Smarter
The big appliances in the laundry room and kitchen pull a surprising share of household water. A few habits cut their use without much effort:
- Run the dishwasher only when full. A modern dishwasher uses about the same amount of water for one plate or sixteen
- Skip the pre-rinse. Modern dishwashers and detergents handle baked-on food without it. The rinse cycle in the machine does the work that the faucet used to
- Wash full loads of laundry on the cold setting whenever possible. Hot water uses energy, and most modern detergents are formulated for cold
- Replace older washers and dishwashers with current ENERGY STAR-certified models when they reach end of life. The water savings alone often justify the upgrade
Outdoor Water Adds Up Fast
Outdoor water use can be the largest single line on a household water bill, especially during hot summers. Practical changes:
- Water the lawn early in the morning when evaporation is lowest, not in the afternoon when half the water disappears into the air
- Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation instead of an oscillating sprinkler. Targeted watering puts the water where it’s needed, not on driveways or sidewalks
- Install a smart sprinkler controller that adjusts based on weather and rainfall. They turn themselves off when a storm is coming and resume when needed
- Plant native species adapted to coastal Mississippi conditions. Plants suited to the climate need much less supplemental watering than imported ornamentals
- Mulch generously around plants and trees. Mulch reduces evaporation and keeps roots cooler in the summer heat
- Sweep driveways and walkways instead of hosing them down
Catch Patterns on the Bill Itself
The water bill is the best signal you have for water trouble in the home. Make a habit of looking at it every month and comparing to the same month a year earlier. Steady creep over time means the household is using more, often slowly. A sudden jump usually means a leak. Either way, the bill tells you something is happening before any visible damage shows up.
Most utilities now offer online portals where you can see daily usage. That granular view can pinpoint exactly when a leak started, which speeds up the diagnosis. If your provider offers it and you haven’t logged in lately, that’s worth ten minutes.
What’s Worth Fixing Versus What’s Worth Living With
Not every water-saving change is worth the cost. Some pay back quickly. Others take decades and don’t make sense unless you’re doing other work at the same time. The list of things almost always worth fixing right away:
- Any leak, no matter how small
- Toilet flappers that don’t seal
- Faucet washers that drip
- Outdoor spigots that don’t fully shut off
- Older showerheads that haven’t been swapped for low-flow models
Bigger projects like replacing a working toilet with a high-efficiency model or upgrading a working but older dishwasher can wait until the existing unit fails. The cost of replacement before it’s needed usually outpaces the water savings. Homeowners across the Mississippi Gulf Coast can save real money by tackling the small fixes first and saving the bigger upgrades for when the older units are at the end of their life anyway.
If your plumbing needs to be repaired, contact ASAP Plumbing today at 228-865-2727 or visit www.plumbinggulfportms.com and request a free estimate! We can handle all your plumbing needs including installation, repair and full water heater replacement.