With the arrival of summer comes the arrival of pool parties, water balloon, and super soaker fights, as well as additional watering needs for your yard and garden. With all that water you’re going to be using, the average homeowner’s bills can spiral out of control pretty fast. Fortunately, by making a few adjustments around your house, you may be able to save a ton of money on water costs during summertime and beyond. Keep reading for our top three ways to reduce your water bill this summer, and remember to call our experienced plumbers at Carter Quality Plumbing for all the services you need.
The Top 3 Ways to Reduce Your Water Bills Over Summer
- Balance Dishwasher Usage: You would naturally assume that one easy way to reduce water bills over the summer is to use your dishwasher less. However, this is not necessarily the case. The truth is that the more dishes you have piling up in your sink, the more time you will spend running the tap to clean them (there’s also the fact that the more dirty dishes you have lying around, the more wear and tear is likely to occur on your garbage disposal.) That’s not to say you should run your machine for every single dish either, or run your washer without rinsing at all, since this can cause lots of problems for your machine. What you should do, however, is rinse dishes quickly throughout the day, put them immediately in the dishwasher, and then run your machine once at night. This will ensure that you are not running the tap for long periods of time, which is a pretty important considering dishwashers use just five gallons of water per load, while handwashing the same amount of dishes can force you to use 27 gallons! And with an efficient, Energy Star dishwasher, it’s now easier to balance tap and washer usage than ever.
- Check Your Water Usage Meter to See If You Have Any Leaks: One of the most useful plumbing tools in your home that too often goes unchecked is your water meter. This device, typically located outside your property near the curb or sometimes in the basement, is used specifically to measure the amount of water passing through your pipes and into other outlets. While some modern water meters will automatically show you a record of water usage over time, generally, the best way to determine if you have any leaks is to completely cut off the water coming into your home. You can either do this using your water shutoff valve, which is sometimes located near your meter, or by simply checking that all taps are turned off. Once you have done this, check your water flow measurement.If your water meter reads higher than zero, then you have a small leak. If it reads significantly higher than zero, then you’ve got a big one. Check around your home, from your sinks to your faucets to your water heater to find the culprit, or call our professionals at Carter Quality Plumbing. We can offer superior leak detection designed to catch everything from the smallest drips to the biggest flood risks.
- Upgrade to a Tankless Water Heater: While tankless water heaters may not be right for every property, they can be a great way to save money. Conventional water heaters require a large tank to constantly keep reheating your water supply, which means you will have to run the shower or tap for longer to achieve your desired water temperature. Tankless water heaters, meanwhile, supply hot water on-demand. This means less time waiting for your water heater to become the perfect temperature and more savings for you. Given that the average person in the U.S. uses roughly 80-100 gallons of water per day, this is also no small feat for the environment. If you are interested in switching to an energy-efficient tankless water heater, make sure to give our experts at Carter Quality Plumbing a call. We offer the best makes and models when it comes time for installation, and can provide you with either gas or electric options that are easy to store and come with outstanding warranties.
For more information on ways to save money on energy and water costs, call Carter Quality Plumbing today at (803) 998-2270, or feel free to send us a message online.