How the Amount of Water You Use Effects Your Water Bill

Receiving your monthly water bill is akin to discovering a dead car battery on a frosty winter morning – an unpleasant experience. Discovering a $20 or $30 increase from the previous month’s bill could indicate problems with your hot water heater, a concealed water leak, or an undetected leaky faucet that’s causing you to lose significant amounts of money. 

What’s even more alarming is that many homeowners frantically call plumbing companies for water leak repairs that could have been avoided through regular maintenance. Additionally, it’s astonishing that a family of four uses and pays for over 400 gallons of water per year. However, this same household could reduce its water usage by half with some effort.

What You May Not Know About Water Usage and Leaks

• Faulty toilets that continue to run after refilling can waste more than 200 gallons of water each day until repaired.
• On average, standard showerheads consume almost three gallons of water every minute of use.
• Leaving your bathroom faucet running for just one minute while brushing your teeth could result in a wastage of two gallons of water.
• Approximately 10% of households have undetected water leaks caused by plumbing fixture defects.
• Water heater leaks are one of the most frequent plumbing issues that result in costly water bills and require professional repairs.

You can calculate the amount of water usage and expenses due to a leaky faucet by using a drip calculator found on the U.S. Department of the Interior website.

Understanding Water Bills

The method of measuring water usage varies across state utility companies, with the gallon and the CCF (centum cubic feet – equivalent to 100 cubic feet of water) being commonly used units. It’s essential to compare your current month’s water usage with the previous month’s to identify even slight increases in your bill, which could indicate the early stages of a water leak within your plumbing system. 

Ignoring leaks is not an option, as they only get worse with time. Even a small pinhole leak resulting from corrosion can weaken the surrounding material and cause a compromised area in the pipe. This can lead to skyrocketing water bills, which can be prevented by repairing the leak before it’s too late or risk being the only one on your block with a kitchen geyser.

How to Save Money on Your Water Bill

1. Avoid rinsing dishes before loading them into the dishwasher. Simply scrape off any remaining food particles to save more than 10 gallons of water per meal.
2. Choose energy-efficient water heater equipment that can maintain a consistent warm water temperature to conserve water.
3. Taking a bath using a filled tub consumes less water (up to 20 gallons) than showering.
4. Adding faucet aerators to your taps can conserve almost 30 gallons of water per day.
5. Consider replacing your water heater equipment if it’s between seven to ten years old to prevent water wastage.
6. Install heat traps and insulate your hot water tanks to reduce heat loss and save water.

During the colder months when hot water usage is high, sediment buildup is common in hot water heaters. This buildup can force your water heater to work harder, leading to internal parts becoming stressed. To avoid such problems, plumbing companies can perform regular maintenance checks by draining the sediment and examining for water leaks or compromised components in your water heater.

Start saving hundreds of dollars annually on your water bill by contacting MET Plumbing & Air Conditioning today. We offer gas water heater repair/maintenance, all kinds of water leak repair services, and troubleshooting hot water heater problems. Call for a quote (or consultation): 281-603-9949.