Cut Down on Your Water Bill
August 26, 2008 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Household
Looks like rising gas prices aren’t your only worry folks. If you’re in the UK, be aware that water bills are set to rise by 60% over the next five years. That’s 12% per annum!
Luckily, there’s something you can do about it.
Use a Water Meter. “Most people pay a flat water rate, regardless of usage… if you have more bedrooms than people in your home, you will benefit from going on to a meter, and could cut up to £125 off your annual bill.”
Hack Your Toilet. “A Hippo – a polyethylene block – in your cistern can cut [water consumption] by an estimated three litres (0.6 gallon) per flush. They’re relatively inexpensive at £1.95 each; hippo-the-watersaver.co.uk or biggreensmile.com.”
When not in use, shut off faucets. Duh.
Fix leaky faucets. Again, duh.
Buy new household appliances. Newer-model dishwashers and washing machines apparently do more with less water.
Don’t fill up the bathtub. You get cleaner faster with less water with a shower.
More here.
No comment on the blatantly obvious “tips,” but I do have one concerning the “buy new appliances” tip: Lower water useage appliances usually entail a trade-off no one talks about.
They take FAR longer to complete a cycle. Front load washers can take up to three times as long as a top loader to complete a wash, dishwashers can take twice as long, etc.
If you don’t mind THAT, sure, you’ll save some water, but if, say, you’ve got a large family and do several loads of clothes a day, the longer wash cycles WILL have an impact that needs to be taken into consideration.
Also, showers can use more water than a bath if you take a long shower vs. not filling the tub full for the bath.
Great points JDoors. It’s always about the balance between convenience and practicality. And yes, the shower was meant to be quick.
In your case, what did you choose eventually? Low water consumption and longer morning routines, or using more water?
I wish I could say I’m all about conserving clean water, but in reality I’m cheap and that’s why I minimize water useage whenever possible. I don’t, for example, run water while brushing or shaving. My routine is so automatic and works well so I can’t even imagine why anyone would leave the faucet running, though I vaguely recall that I used to do so at one time.
As for the trade-offs some choices entail I’m essentially concerned that few people bother to mention that there ARE trade-offs. If someone were to buy, for example, a new clothes washer thinking they’re doing some good, then discover they cannot get their laundry done in a reasonable amount of time, they may just chuck the idea of conservation entirely, “I tried it and it just doesn’t work for me.”
There’s the danger of a “rebound” effect if people aren’t made aware of the potential for trade-offs.