If you are a resident of Mason, OH, then you already know that the cost of utilities is going up, especially your water costs. This is due to a growing scarcity of water, a lowering of water levels due to drought and a need for management of polluted waters.
The only way to lower the cost of your water bill is to reduce your consumption of it or not use it all unless necessary.
Tip 1 -Take a Quick Shower Rather Than a Bath
If you are filling up a bathtub with 30 to 40 gallons of water every day, then you are most certainly going to see a very high water bill every month.
Try taking short showers that typically use ten to twenty gallons of water per bathing session instead. If you stay in the shower less than five minutes, you can cut your water expenses by thirty percent.
Tip 2 – Install Hoses to Recycle Greywater
Greywater from washing up, bathing or doing the laundry can easily be directed through PVC piping outside into catch basins or barrels and then used to irrigate your garden.
A longer hose can simply be draped in different parts of your yard so that different parts of it are watered with the second-hand wash-water.
Do not use water that is soiled by human waste or that has been contaminated by salt or chemicals as it could contaminate vegetable gardens and kill plants.
Tip 3 – Prevent Leaking Pipes Before They Happen
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to leaking pipes. Once a pipe springs a leak and starts to drip, the wasted excess water starts to cost you more and more every month.
Sometimes, you can see the water pooling on the floor, but if not, the leak could be happening behind a wall. Leaks that happen behind walls usually smell like mold or mildew. A plumbing expert can usually help you find the source of the leak and then make a patch repair or retrofit your plumbing so that it does not happen again.
Tip 4 – Never Use Your Own Water to Wash Your Car
It can take many gallons of water to get a vehicle clean so you are better off to use the water at the carwash. Automated carwashes know how to recycle their water properly and use less of it as they do so.
The water from your washing efforts can end up in sewers and drains, whereas the car wash water is properly treated at a city plant before it ends up in nearby rivers or lakes. Finally, be aware that self-discipline and education of your family members and guests is key to using less water.
Once you set the new rules for water use in your home, such as taking shorter showers, be sure to enforce them so that you are never shocked by a high water bill again. Unexplained high bills can be due to an undiscovered water leak and if you suspect this does not fail to call a plumbing expert to find and solve the problem for you.