Lower Your Water Bill with these Plumbing Improvements

Everyone is looking for ways to save money these days. As a homeowner, one of the most effective ways to save money is to lower your monthly bills. This includes reducing your water bill. The EPA reports that on average each American uses about 88 gallons of water a day at home while at the same time-wasting about 45 gallons each week. There are several simple ways to lower your water bill. We’re featuring our top plumbing tips and tricks to help you lower your water bill.

Fix Leaks, Drips, and Unexplained Running Water

The most effective way to lower your water bill is to identify leaks in your faucets and plumbing and fix them immediately. Leaks, drips, and unexplained running water can all cause your water bill to increase more than you may realize. As we stated above the EPA reports the average person wastes about 45 gallons a week. When totaled over a year a family of four wastes 9,400-gallons of water a year many times from drips and leaking faucets, which are easy to fix.

Check your home’s kitchen and bathroom faucets, showerheads, toilets, and pipes. Then make sure to check your outdoor faucets as well.

One way to quickly identify if you have a leak is when you deal with low water pressure. Repair any drips, leaks, or running water to reduce water waste and lower your water bill.

Replace the Aerator on your Faucets

Over time faucets often lose the aerator from the tip of the faucet. This is among the common items plumbers often replace to make your plumbing more efficient. By replacing the aerator of your current faucet or upgrading it entirely, you can lower your water bill quickly by reducing the volume of water you use by pushing air through the water, increasing the steady force of the water. This causes you to use less water overall. Newer faucets are also made to use even less water and create more air force, allowing for less water splashing and waste.

Replace Your Shower Head & Operate your Toilets at Low Flow

Replacing showerheads with low flow models can reduce your water bill. Similarly, when you replace your toilet with a more energy-efficient model, you will save several gallons each time you flush. A running or leaky toilet can waste up a staggering 6,000 gallons per month and add hundreds of dollars to a water bill.

There are two common reasons toilets leak: 

If you hear an odd hiss-like noise, you need to check the tank flapper, water line connections and seals further. It’s likely if you have a toilet leak it’s an issue with one of these parts.

Another way to check for a leak in your toilet is by taking the lid off of your toilet’s tank and putting in a couple of drops of coloring (or a dye tablet). After you’ve put the dye in the tank, wait for 15-20 minutes and check the toilet bowl for dye. If dye is present, then there’s a leak allowing tank water to flow into the bowl.

Install a Hybrid Water Heater or a Tankless Water Heater

A traditional water heater stores hot water in a tank. Even when you aren’t using hot water, they use energy to keep the water temperature constant. There are now more energy-efficient options that will reduce your water bill as well.

A hybrid water heater, otherwise known as a heat pump water heater, runs on electricity and use heat from outside air drawn into the appliance’s evaporator coil into a tank. You will need to ensure they have a dedicated high voltage circuit and breaker, but the reduced savings in your utility bill and water bill make this an appealing option. Unlike a traditional water heater, a hybrid water heater doesn’t run all the time to keep the water hot.

A tankless or on-demand water heater also only uses electricity to produce hot water when you need it, so you use less water and less electricity. Many tankless water heaters come with extensive warranties and are very compact in size.

Upgrading your existing water heater may cost you more in the beginning, but you’ll get your investment back through lower utility bills.

To determine which is best for your household talk to a licensed plumber. They will walk you through the different features and measure your space to determine your options.

Upgrade your Washer and Dishwasher

Upgrading your appliances might seem counterintuitive, but it actually might save you more money in the long run. Older washers are not as efficient as new washers and dishwashers are designed to be. Washing your laundry actually accounts for 16% of your total water usage. Updating and using a more efficient WaterSense washer requires 33% less water than older models of appliances, which translates to a lower monthly water bill. Make sure you check out these tips for choosing the most energy and water-efficient top load washers to help lower your water bill.

Washing your dishes in an EnergyStar dishwasher only uses an average of 4 to 6 gallons of water, whereas handwashing typically uses up to 20 gallons of water to wash the same amount of dishes. Plus using your dishwasher saves you time as well as money!

As a Licensed and Insured Master Plumber at Brevard’s Best, we will always work to provide the highest quality services to save you money.

Contact us today to learn more about how to lower your water bill with plumbing improvements.