You’ve probably noticed your Cincinnati household’s average water usage goes up during the summer. Whether you’re hosting guests for extended vacations or have children home for the season, your water bill is higher than normal. More gallons of water are used for a variety of tasks – washing dishes with the dishwasher, running your washing machine, more frequent showers, watering garden plants, and more.
Water saving can be tough during this time of year, but there are a number of ways to save money on water bills! From changing how you use water while brushing your teeth to tracking down leaks and taking time to replace old bathroom faucets, toilets, showers, and appliances, Thomas & Galbraith shares key tips that reduce utility water use and lower your water bill.
The Average Water Bill for Cincinnati Residents
In Cincinnati, a single-family household has a monthly utility water bill that runs about $32 on average. The costs you see on your utility bills include a standard service charge for your water utility as well as what you pay for the amount of water used in your home that billing period.
How much water used in each home depends on various factors. The amount of people living in or staying at the home will affect how much water is used and how much you pay on your water bills. The activities performed by those in your household, the type of task, and how often it is done, also add to your water bill.
If you’re looking for the best ways to save money and lower your water bill, simply put is use less water. Cut back on water consumption by making water and energy efficiency upgrades to appliances and fixtures throughout your home, and adjust habits to reduce the amount of water needed to perform daily tasks.
Best Tips to Save Money on Your Water Expenses Each Summer
During the summer months, family members use water in many ways indoors as well as outside. These tips allow you to use less water and save money when you pay your utility water bill each month.
Saving Water Inside the Home
To reduce your water bill, limit the volume of water consumed for various daily tasks, including chores and personal hygiene.
In the Kitchen
- You may have more washing to do after preparing large meals for guests or simply eating more meals at home this season. Hand-washing dishes uses much more water and energy than an ENERGY STAR® dishwasher, with average costs differing by about $1,300.
- Before loading your dishwasher, empty plates into a trashcan rather than spraying them off with the kitchen faucet. Don’t run the dishwasher for washing dishes unless you have full loads. Use energy efficiency settings on your machine for quicker cycles that use less water and energy.
- Use your garbage disposal less to save water as well as energy. Garbage disposals do need to be operated on a regular basis for maintenance, but reducing the volume of scraps disposed of this way helps with saving energy and water. Try composting appropriate organic items, and use your compost in the garden this summer!
In the Bathroom
- If your bathrooms do not have low-flow toilets, modify each toilet tank to save water. Create a tank insert from a water-filled bottle – place the bottle inside the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water needed to fill the tank.
- Turn off faucets when brushing your teeth or shaving to save money and save water. Save up to 8 gallons of water each time you turn off the faucet tap while brushing your teeth!
- Take shorter showers to increase water saving in the bathroom. When you take shorter showers, you’ll use less hot water, too, which helps your water heater consume less electrical energy. You’ll save money on electrical utility bills as well as your water bills! Make sure water pressure is ample so you have a comfortable and quick experience.
- In many homes, the water heater is set to a higher temperature than necessary. This can create unsafe hot water as well as waste energy. Adjust the water heater thermostat to 120 degrees, which is an energy-efficient and comfortable temperature for bathing.
In the Laundry Room
- Many families run their washing machine more often over the summer, as more laundry accumulates from more household members and more clothing changes due to heat and dirty outdoor activities. Use your washing machine efficiently by starting a washing cycle only when you have gathered full loads. Reduce energy consumption by using cold water for washing instead of hot water.
Water Saving Tips for Outside Use
- Be sure to cover any type of pool when it is not in use. Covering the pool stops water from evaporating, which could cause the need to fill it – if you fill your pool with your home’s water, the costs you pay could be significant.
- Before the start of the summer and periodically throughout the season, inspect hose bibbs, hoses, and every sprinkler head in your irrigation system for damage that could lead to leaks. Repair or replace any damaged items to save water.
- Save water when washing your vehicle at home over the summer months. Instead of leaving hose water running, just fill up a bucket for soapy water. Once you are done washing the vehicle, turn the water back on to spray off the soapy suds. Be sure to shut off the hose as soon as you’re finished.
- Taking a trip to the car wash instead of washing your vehicle at home can save water. Car wash facilities often use water reclamation equipment to recycle water and reduce water use. Leaving your hose running could waste up to 10 gallons of water per minute as you wash your car.
- Cover flowerbeds with a 3-inch mulch layer to create a barrier that helps the soil retain its moisture. This way, you won’t have to water plants as often.
- When watering your garden plants, do so early in the morning. Before the day’s heat arrives, the roots of plants will be able to soak up this moisture and it won’t evaporate and waste away.
- Limit watering the lawn as much as possible, using rainwater instead. If you must water the lawn, do it before about 10 a.m. so the heat does not cause moisture to evaporate. Don’t spray the lawn with water when it’s windy or else much water volume will be lost to evaporation.
- Keep your lawn mowed to about 3 to 4 inches. This length allows grass to grow deeper roots so the plants can better access moisture in the soil.
Other Ways to Lower Your Water Bill
Significant causes of water waste in the average home are leaks. On average, leaks cause about 10,000 gallons of water waste each year in homes throughout the country. Too often, homeowners think a leak doesn’t seem that serious and doesn’t warrant attention – but even small leaks add up to vast water waste and wasted money because a leak increases your bills.
Toilets, faucets, your showers, the toilet tank components, and other fixtures in the bathroom or kitchen are common spots for a leak to occur. Inspect these fixtures to find leaks and repair leaks now to pay for less water on your utility bills.
Install New Fixtures
Old plumbing fixtures like faucets and toilets or even a shower head use a lot more water than newer models. If you install new efficient fixtures, you can cut back on water usage without additional steps!
- If your toilet was built before the 1980s, it could use up to 7 gallons per flush! Pre-1994 toilets use up to 3.5 gallons of water per flush. A new low-flow toilet and toilet tank uses no more than 1.6 gallons per flush, while WaterSense-rated toilets operate with 1.28 gallons or less per flush!
- The new standard shower head can release 2.5 gallons per minute. A low-flow, efficient WaterSense shower head uses less than 2.0 gallons of water per minute.
- An old faucet can use up to 5 gallons per minute. Today’s standard faucets have a flow rate of 2.2 gallons per minute and WaterSense faucets have a flow rate at 1.5 gallons per minute or less.
Reduce Your Water Bill with Thomas & Galbraith
Spend less money on water costs this summer with these simple ways to lower your water bill. If you have leaks that are in need of repair or wish to replace old, inefficient fixtures and install new low-flow models, Thomas & Galbraith is ready to help you out. Contact us today to request an appointment for an estimate or service.
