Ways You Are Running up Your Water Bill

Here's how to stop washing money down the drain.

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Emmet Pierce •August 13, 2021

Water is becoming more expensive across the U.S. So, it's important to make sure you’re not flushing your hard-earned cash down the drain through poor conservation practices.

Following are some of the biggest mistakes that can increase your water bill.

If you have an older showerhead, you may be using 7 to 10 gallons of water per minute each time you shower, according to the Water — Use It Wisely campaign. In contrast, newer, low-flow showerheads use about 2 gallons per minute.

Due to newer technologies used in low-flow showerheads, you won't notice a difference in the water pressure or flow, the campaign says. Yet you could save hundreds of gallons weekly, just by installing a new showerhead.

So, the purchase of a new showerhead could quickly pay for itself.

As the U.S. Department of Energy notes:

"You can purchase some quality, low-flow fixtures for around $10 to $20 apiece and achieve water savings of 25%-60%."

An aerator is the component at the tip of a faucet. It often screws onto the faucet. Low-flow aerators save water by limiting the flow of water through the faucet, so they also save money.

The Department of Energy describes replacing your aerators with lower-flow aerators as "one of the most cost-effective water conservation measures." The DOE recommends buying aerators with flow rates of 1 gallon per minute or less.

The federal agency also advises taking your current aerator to the store when you buy a new one so you can be sure the new one will fit on your existing faucet.

Most modern dishwashers work well enough to make pre-rinsing an unnecessary step. Simply scrape leftovers into the trash or a compost bucket and put your dishes directly into the dishwasher.

If you feel you need to rinse dishes more thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher, do it in a bowl, tub or sink to limit water use. You can follow the same steps when you wash dishes by hand.

An easy way to conserve water is to stop using your garbage disposal. Garbage disposals don't work well unless you leave your faucet on when the disposal is running. So, you’ll save money if you simply scrape food remnants off your dishes and into the trash or compost.

You’ll save water and thus money if you wait until your dishwasher is full before you run it.

Running only full loads also means you will use your dishwasher less often, and that will save energy as well.

Before you hit the start button, choose the wash setting that will use the least amount of water necessary to get the dishes clean. If you remove all the food from your dishes before you load them, you likely will be able to use settings for a light load.

Many people flush items like used tissues down the toilet. The problem is that even with modern, low-flush toilets, you’re wasting up to 1.6 gallons with every flush, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

If your toilet is older, you could be wasting as many as 6 gallons each time you push the lever. Better to toss that tissue in the trash.

A great way to offset your water bill is to collect rainwater in a rain barrel for later use, such as in your garden.

You can buy rain barrels online or at home improvement stores.

If you fail to use lawn and garden sprinklers properly, you could be wasting water. An unmonitored sprinkler may be sending your water into the street and down storm drains.

It's also important to make sure your sprinklers run at optimal times. Watering in the morning when the air is cooler and there's less wind means the water won't evaporate as quickly as it would during the afternoon. Watering at night, however, can encourage lawn diseases.

Grass needs less water than you might think. Although water is the most important factor in the survival of grass, too much water can damage turf, reports the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service says most lawns only need to be watered every four to eight days. One way to tell whether your grass needs water is to step on it: If it doesn't spring back, it's time to water.

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