High water bill? We have some great tips to save you money

Have you just opened your rates notice and discovered a huge water bill?

Don’t feel alone because you are not on your own. Water is getting more expensive every year and it’s not going to get any cheaper.

Did you know that Coca Cola is cheaper at our local service stations than Water and in some countries Water is more expensive than Petrol.

We have some simple ideas that you can implement easily to save water, saving money and ultimately saving our planet.

Here’s the easiest water saving tip that we know, it’s dead simple and will save the average home $100 dollars each year – turn the tap off when brushing your teeth.

Here’s another easy idea that doesn’t cost a cent and it’s so easy, you’ll wonder why you were not doing it years ago. Take your phone or media player into the bathroom, pick your favourite song that is around three minutes long, crank it up and jump into the shower. Just make sure your hop out when the song ends – no cheating by putting your phone on repeat though.

This summer, when the kids want to cool off, put the sprinkler out on the lawn and let the kids play on the grass, just make sure they are in the shade or slip, slop and slap.

Save laundry and dishes in the machines until you have a enough to warrant doing a full load. An article that I recently read about modern dishwashers suggested that a new dishwashers use less water than doing them by hand. The grey water from your washing machine can be captured in a bucket and used on the garden as well.

These ideas can save over $400 in water wastage per year if they are consistently applied and the great thing is they are free.

Can plumbing services save money on your water bill?

Yes! Let me share some information on what we as a Plumbing Company can do to help too.

Toilets really use a lot of water, if your home doesn’t have a toilet cistern with a half flush feature then you should really consider having a plumber install one. If your toilet cistern is over ten years old it is probably worth replacing as well, new cisterns use half as much water as the older Dual Flush cisterns. It is such an easy way to save money, in fact the installation cost of a new cistern could be paid back to you in 6 months with the money saved on your water bill.

Dripping taps and leaking mixer taps are another easily fixed fixture that waste an amazing 20,000 litres of water each year. A simple washer change can potentially save you $250 over a year.

Water efficient fixtures like shower heads and faucet regulators can save hundreds of dollars as well. A faucet regulator, (the aerator on the end of the spout,) can reduce the water flow from over 12 litres per minute down to 6 litres per minute. That’s halving the water used from the basin or fixture.

Water leaks under the ground can use over 1 million litres in less than a month. If there is a wet patch in your yard or around the edge of drives or paths then you may have a water leak under the ground. The best way to check is to read the water meter, do not use any water in the house for an hour and then check the meter reading again. If the meter increased it’s reading and no water was used in the home, then you most likely have a water leak.

If you think you have a water leak underground, a leaking tap washer, an old cistern that looks wasteful or would like to install water contact your local plumbing services to save money on your next water bill.