Tired of a high water bill month after month? If so, this is the right blog for you. Water savings renovations will save you money and prevent your water bill from climbing higher and higher. Outdated appliances, leaking pipes, and even bad irrigation habits can cost you a lot of money annually. And, if you live in an area that has drought restrictions in place, you may find yourself with a hefty fine or two should you use water on non-designated days or times.
Fortunately, there are several different water savings renovations you can make that are both inexpensive and simple. Whether you are renovating your home to sell it or to keep money in your pocket, these renovations are the key to the puzzle. Check them out below.
Rain Sensors or Sprinkler Timers
If you water your grass daily, you should consider installing a timer on your sprinklers. This will help you keep the output of water consistent, and you will not have to constantly monitor the sprinkler system. Hoses and sprinklers that are unattended can cost you tons of money in lost water. In fact, a broken sprinkler head or hose that is left on can mean hundreds of gallons of water lost in just a few minutes. If you do install a sprinkler timer, you want to set it for early in the morning before the sun comes out and dries up the water immediately.
You can also add rain sensors to your sprinklers. This cost-effective and saving measure will ensure that your sprinklers do not turn on when it is raining outside. The sensors will be able to tell if there is rain and will skip the irrigation cycle if it is actively raining or there was rainfall.
Drip Irrigation System
Watering your lawn is a necessity if you want plants or grass to grow. If you do water your lawn, consider a drip irrigation system to do so. This type of system will apply a small amount of water evenly across the lawn. Not only will it save you money and cut down on wasted water, but you will also find that water is spread more evenly and thus no more brown spots or dead grass.
Fix Your Leaking Pipes and Faucets
While a leak may start out small, it can quickly become constant or increase in size and leave you with a water-soaked home and flooded lawn. One of the biggest indicators that you may have a leaky pipe is if your water meter readings fluctuate a lot. To test this, check your water meter and then wait two hours with no water use and check it again. If the numbers go up, then there is a leak somewhere.
Other signs a water leak is present include:
- Unusually high water bills each month
- Drop in water pressure
- Cracks in your pavement
- Damp walls
- Mold and mildew
Fixing your leaking faucets and pipes can save you money and a whole mess of problems later on down the road.
Reduce Your Footprint
If you are someone who wants to help conserve the Earth, then this method is perfect for you – use a rain barrel. A rain barrel can be used to collect rainwater naturally and will save you money on your water bill while helping save the planet.
Water Aerator in the Kitchen Sink
This is an easy to do project that won’t take you much time but will yield you some good results. An aerator limits the amount of water flow to stop splashing streams. For example, even turn on your water only to find the pressure is just too much and the water flies everywhere as you wash your hands? An aerator fights back against this. To install an aerator, all you need to do is screw it onto the head of the faucet in your kitchen sink.
New Shower Head
Purchasing and installing a new shower head in your bathroom is a wonderful and inexpensive way to help you save money and water at the same time. Fortunately, even with a water-saving shower head you can experience good pressure, so you don’t have to worry. Ideally, you want to have a shower head that put out no more than two and a half gallons of water per minute. Older models can put out as much as eight gallons of water per minute – Woah!
Turn Off the Water
Often times, we forget to turn the water off when we are completing simple tasks such as brushing our teeth, taking a shower, or even washing the dishes. Turning the water off in between the times you are using it will help you save on your water bill, and it will conserve water as well. For example, when you brush your teeth, consider turning the water off in between the time you are brushing and the time you are ready to rinse. You can also turn the water in the shower off while you wash your hair and body and then turn it back on to rinse off. Finally, the same applies with washing the dishes – simply turn the water off in between washing and rinsing. This will save you hundreds of gallons.
Dual Flush or Low Flow Toilet
Modern toilets are made to conserve water and a dual flush or low flow toilet can save you thousands of gallons of water each and every year. In addition, these toilets will help reduce the load on your septic tank system, which will extend its lifespan. A dual flush system allows you to purchase toilets with different buttons designed for liquid waste and sold waste, customizing how much water is used with each flush. By installing on of these toilets in your home, you will save up to 350 gallons of water per week or reduce water usage by up to 65 percent.
Another way to help you save money is to repair your current toilet. Worn out flappers and other parts tend to become less efficient over time and may corrode or bend causing leaks. These parts are usually quite inexpensive and can be changed quickly.
Energy Efficient Appliances
This is another water saving recommendation, but it does come with a bit of a price tag, so it may not be the first choice on the list. However, once you can, and even if it is one by one, you want to replace your old appliances with newer energy efficient models. For example, a front loading washing machine will save up to half the water usage as a top loading washing machine. When you do shop for appliances, you want to look out for ones that have the Energy Star stick on them. This is a bright yellow sticker, and it tells you that the appliances meets the Department of Energy and EPA’s energy saving standards. The tag will also tell you how much money the appliance will save you yearly.
Start Making Your Renovations Today
Saving water and money on your water bill does not have to be an expensive chore and many of the ideas above can be done by you. With the right renovations, you can cut our unnecessary water usage.