I've done a few articles about saving money in the past. The first discussed how to save money on your electric bills. Then we looked at how to save money on your gas bills. Today we'll see what you can do to save money on your water bills. This would apply to renters, homeowners, landlords, or anyone that pays for their water.
Begin by shutting off running water in your sinks when you're not actually using it. Think about doing this when brushing your teeth or shaving.
Try not to take so long in the shower! We all enjoy long, relaxing showers, but these cause your water bills to increase. Think about it - you have to heat up the water you use in the shower, so this would save you in water and heating costs.
Look into getting a water restricting shower head or a low flow shower head. Adding an aerator to faucets can also reduce the amount of water you use.
Work at not running your appliances (washing machine, dishwasher) until they are full. Why pay for water to wash just a few items?
Decide if a piece of clothing is really dirty before throwing it in the laundry basket. If you just wore something for a short time, think about wearing it again before washing.
If you have an energy efficient dish washer, use it rather than washing dishes by hand. In the long run, it will save you water because the dishwasher uses less.
Make sure you don't have water leaks in your home. If a faucet is dripping, that's a water loss that may be fixed just by changing a washer. Look under your cabinets to make sure you have no leaks. If you water with a sprinkler system, make sure the heads are working properly and not gushing. Take a look at your washing machine hoses to make sure they're not dripping. Listen to the sound of your toilet - if it's not silent after filling, it could be losing water. It could just be something as simple as replacing a flapper or fill mechanism.
If you don't have a water dispenser in your refrigerator, store drinking water inside the fridge in a pitcher. You'll have cold water quickly available and won't wind up running the faucet for an extended period of time waiting for cold water.
Try to not dump water you don't finish from drinking glasses or water bottles - use it for watering your plants instead.
Another way to save on plant watering costs is to collect rainwater at the end of your gutters in a barrel.
Work at replacing fixtures or appliances (if you own the property) with energy efficient ones. The Environmental Protection Agency has a rebate finding website that can help you find rebates on WaterSense products (water efficient toilets, showerheads, faucets, etc). Also find the website for the utility company you use and see if they are offering rebates as well (some may already be listed in the EPA list, but I've spotted others that aren't). Here is a link to some of the utility companies in Lake County, Florida.
Saving money isn't always easy, but there are usually things you can do that aren't terribly difficult to make it happen! Interested in saving money in general? I did a post a while back called, "How can I save money now that I'm renting?" Most of the points in it apply to homeowners as well (shopping advice, TV / phone expenses, food / beverages, memberships, transportation, etc).
If you found this post helpful, please share it with others. Our blog posts our new every Monday through Friday at https://www.leesburg4rent.com/blog. Monday and Wednesday posts deal with fun things to do here in Lake County, Florida. Posts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday are issues of interest to renters and landlords. Thanks for stopping by!
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